DOCTOR WHO: FLUX: EVERYTHING WE KNOW SO FAR

31 Oct 2021 Leave a comment

by Méls7 in DOCTOR WHO, Entertainment Tags: , , , ,

Jodie Whittaker (centre), John Bishop (left), Mandip Gill (right) in Doctor Who: Flux Credit: BBC

Get the lowdown on Doctor Who Series 13 ahead of its Halloween release

By Mélissa M Azombo

As the 13th series of Doctor Who materialises on British screens tonight, from casting to plotlines, here’s everything you need to know about what’s to come.

Doctor What?

“It’s coming. Be ready.” This is what The Doctor tells us about The Flux in a BBC ident. Just what is the flux? We don’t know exactly. We are aware that it involves a SWARM of creatures from Sontarans to Weeping Angels, Cybermen and Ravagers. New set photos have even been released to confirm this.

Don’t Blink: The Weeping Angels are back. Photo credit: BBC
New monsters: The Doctor face to face with the Karvanista. Photo credit: BBC

Otherwise, all we know in terms of the storyline (which is quite special already) is the first two episode titles. Episode 1 titled “Chapter One: The Halloween Apocalypse” will launch the series this Halloween. The following episode called “War of The Sontarans” will air Sunday 7 November. It’s safe to say this episode will feature the return of Sontarans, not seen since Doctor Who series 8, right? Their return has been confirmed since their appearance in the latest Doctor Who trailer.

The trailer also reveals an Ood and a new monster named Karvanista.

Doctor Who?

Although the writers confirmed for Doctor Who: FLUX are limited to a total of 2 – Chris Chibnall himself and Maxine Alderton (Doctor Who: Series 12: the Haunting of Villa Diodati) – a growing list of further casting details has been released. Of course, Jodiie Whittaker will be featuring in her last series in the role of The 13th Doctor. The Yorkshire-born actress made history when she was announced as the first woman to play The Doctor (within continuity) back in July 2017. Alongside her, will be Mandip Gill continuing her role as Yasmin Khan. Both will be joined by new TARDIS arrival Dan Lewis, played by John Bishop.

Doctor Who: Jodie Whittaker returns as The Doctor.
Yasmin Khan: Mandip Gill continues her role as The Doctor’s companion.
Centre: John Bishop is Dan Lewis.
At arms: Game of Thrones’ Jacob Anderson as Vinder in Doctor Who: Flux.

As announced during the last Doctor Who Comic Con at Home Panel, Game of Thrones’ Jacob Anderson will be starring as series regular, Vinder. Talking about playing his character during the panel, Anderson revealed “Not only did I get to go on the TARDIS & press all the buttons & levers but I got my own ship.” His own ship? Is Vinder a Time Lord? Only time will tell.

Featuring alongside the principal four, an array of guest cast throughout the six-part story. Robert Bathurst and Kevin McNally of Downton Abbey, The Irregulars’ Thaddea Graham, Blake Harrison from World On Fire and Craig Parkinson (Line of Duty) will all enter the world of Doctor Who throughout the following six weeks. Although full character details have yet to be confirmed, some interesting character images have been released. In the mean time, it’s a waiting game to find out who will be played by Sara Powell (Unforgotten), Britannia’s Annabel Scholey & Gerald Kyd, Penelope Ann McGhie (Harry Potter), Rochenda Sandall (Line Of Duty), Sam Spruell (The North Water), Craige Els (Ripper Street), Steve Oram (The End of the F-ing World), Nadia Albina (The One), Jonathan Watson (Two Doors Down), Sue Jenkins (Coronation Street) and Paul Broughton (Brookside).

All cast have been directed by Jamie Magnus Stone (Doctor Who: Series 12: Spyfall) on episodes one, two and four with the remaining episodes directed by Azhur Saleem and produced by Pete Levy. Azhur Saleem’s directing venture on Muse made the Official Sci-Fi London Film Festival Selection.

As in series 12, Doctor Who: FLUX had Chris Chibnall and Matt Strevens as executive producers, while being co-produced by series producer Nikki Wilson.

Doctor When?

The hit sci-fi TV show returns for its 13th series tonight, Sunday 31 October at 18h25 GMT (UK). Doctor Who: FLUX will be available for streaming from Monday 1 November at 6h20 AEDT and broadcast at 19h30 AEDT (Australia). To American audiences, the show will air on Sunday 31st October at 20h00 EDT (USA). The series continues with Chapter Two: War of the Sontarans the following week.

Doctor Where?

Doctor Who will be broadcast in the UK on BBCOne, in Australia on ABC iview and ABC TV Plus and in the USA on BBC America. Details for other countries are yet to be confirmed.

Doctor How?

The series will be broadcast over six one-hour episodes, which will also be available to watch on the BBC’s catch-up streaming service BBC iPlayer.

Doctor Why?

The return of Doctor Who tonight brings an end to the 10-months hiatus Whovians have endured since the New Year’s Day special Revolution of the Daleks aired on 1 January 2021. Although past Doctor Who seasons under the current Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall have been known to have fewer episodes than their predcessors, Doctor Who: Flux suffers an even more dramatic episode count cut from Chinall’s standard 10 to just 6. He confirmed during SDCC’s Comic-Con at Home 2021 Panel in July this year that pandemic filming influenced the story telling.

“You could go we’re just gonna do lots of tiny episodes, in one room, with no monsters, or we could throw down the gauntlet and go we’re gonna do the biggest story we’ve ever done and we’re going to all kinds of different places, have all kinds of different characters and monsters, and it’s all gonna be part of a bigger whole,” Chibnall explained. Doctor Who: FLUX, set to be one epic six-part story, will be Jodie Whittaker’s last series in the coveted role of The Doctor, although she will also feature in 3 more specials across 2022: The New Year’s Day Special airing on 1 January 2022, an Easter special airing early 2022 and the BBC’s centenary special set to air in Autumn 2022, which will be Jodie Whittaker’s final episode as the 13th Doctor.

Chris Chibnall will join Jodie Whittaker and exit his role as showrunner after the BBC Centenary Special. Previous showrunner Russell T Davies will reprise this former position and succeed Chibnall as showrunner for at least the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary and series 14.

Russell-T-Davies Doctor Who Flux Everything We Know So Far Time Made of Strawberries

Stellar return: Award-winning writer Russell T Davies from It’s A Sin will take the role of Showrunner from Doctor Who’s 60th Anniversary onwards

Meanwhile, this is John Bishop’s first series, which he joins as Dan Lewis alongside Yaz (Mandip Gill) and The Doctor (Jodie Whittaker).

DOCTOR WHO: FROM DOCTOR WHEN TO DOCTOR WHERE?

21 Oct 2021 Leave a comment

by Méls7 in DOCTOR WHO, Entertainment Tags: , , , , , , , ,

DOCTOR WHO FLUX AIRS 31.10.2021 ON BBC ONE Time Made Of Strawberries
Image credit: BBC, BBC Studios

Inside the tensest 24 hours in Doctor Who fandom as fans ask #WhereIsDoctorWho?

By Mélissa M Azombo

Last Friday evening, the official Doctor Who website and social media accounts disappeared from cyberspace in what proved to be the greatest marketing stunt of the century.

On Friday 8 October at 18h00, Doctor Who fans asked #WhereIsDoctorWho as they noticed the hit sci-fi TV show was nowhere to be found online. With the series in the midst of a hiatus with an unknown release date, Whovians had grown accustomed to asking “when is Doctor Who?”. This was the day it got replaced as the most popular question in the fandom. One by one, reports came in of the show’s official Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube accounts being inaccessible. Soon, the same was shown to be true for their website.

While the official Doctor Who Tumblr page run by BBC America reportedly remained active, all social media accounts managed by BBC Studios through Falcon Social Media stayed inactive well into the night. It was unclear how long this would go on for or if Doctor Who would ever return to the internet at all. Their last tweet: “CAN YOU HEAR ME?” gave no clues.

By the morning of the following day, Doctor Who remained offline and those who had previously wondered if it was just a technical issue began to wonder if it was actually a marketing strategy instead – in which case, many questionned it.

It was on Saturday 9 October that the show’s lead character, The Doctor, seemed to make a breakthrough in communications via none other than the Telegram app, where she explained she had been banned from the internet. Yikes!

The Doctor Telegram Doctor Who Flux Time Made Of Strawberries
Official or Unofficial? The Doctor seems to be reaching out via Telegram amidst Doctor Who social media blackout on Saturday 9 October.

Clearly The Doctor was in some sort of trouble, struggling to get through. So, she did what she does best – called on humans to stay vigilant and let her know if we’d seen anything suspicious. Liverpudlians were invited to call the phone number 0800 678 3110 displayed on electronic billboards. Phoning led to The Doctor’s answerphone (she’s a busy woman!) where fans were encouraged to leave a voicemail if they had seen anything suspicious.

Well, they didn’t disappoint, though how many phone calls and voicemails came into the line within just the first hour, by the end of Saturday and to date, is anyone’s guess. Time Made Of Strawberries has contacted the BBC Press Office for further information on this but the Doctor Who team has not responded at the time of writing. An update will be posted as soon as it’s available. Regardless, the excitement was alive on Twitter as fans posted recordings of The Doctor’s voicemail greeting. The phone line is no longer active but it was all the buzz when it was. 

If anything, this shows the hype that going offline generated for Doctor Who. So, it was time to complete the marketing strategy and make the much-awaited comeback to cyberspace that fans had been eagerly waiting for.

The official Doctor Who social media accounts returned in style. With a darker, more autumnal shade of orange in their logo and a “DOCTOR WHO: FLUX” header and name change, they graced fans with a teaser of the upcoming series.

Doctor Who: Flux will be the thirteenth series of Doctor Who. Starring Jodie Whittaker in her last adventure as The Doctor, alongside Mandip Gill (Yaz), John Bishop (Dan) and Game Of Thrones’ Jacob Anderson (Vinder), it will feature 6 one-hour weekly episodes.

All episodes are written by Chris Chibnall except for one, which is co-written by Maxine Alderton (Doctor Who: Series12: The Haunting Of Villa Diodati).

This will also be Chibnall’s last season as Doctor Who Showrunner, with alum Russel T Davies announced to be reprising this role for at least the 60th anniversary and series 14.

Taylor Swift may have invented clearing your social media for a new era but Doctor Who just stepped it up one level and invented completely disappearing for another era.

The new era of Doctor Who starts with “Chapter One: The Halloween Apocalypse” on Halloween (31.10.2021) on BBC One at 18h25 GMT/ 19H25 CET. The following episode’s title has been confirmed to be “Chapter Two: The Sontaran War”.

Check out the trailer of what’s to come, originally premiered on The Graham Norton Show on Friday 15 October 2021 with Jodie Whittaker.

REDEFINING THE SUPERFAN

30 May 2020 Leave a comment

by Méls7 in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Doctor Who merchandise image featuring monster, companion anddoctor figures, the TARDIS, sonic screwdriver and VHS. These are set across 4 shelves.

Above: Doctor Who memorabilia, image credit The Doctor Who site.

Is Superfandom money and talent-centric?

By Mélissa M Azombo – Support the author

I’m on the set of Doctor Who during one of those lulls when we are waiting to be called in for the next scene, when one of the other extras told me he had been in the newspapers as a kid for owning the biggest Doctor Who collection.

“Impressive!” I thought. “That’s really cool,” I responded. He must really like Doctor Who and it is amazing that he not only enjoyed the show enough to want to collect so much, but that he was able to. He is what the media would have termed a “Superfan”. Unfortunately, his name escapes me. This was way back in the summer of 2016, after all. While I wish him well wherever he is, I also wonder whether he would have agreed with that terminology.

See, I have seen many examples of fans photographed with their collections and artwork and called superfans but I wonder if this always feels like an accurate fit. Do they, themselves feel like superfans or regular fans? And what makes the distinction? I wanted to unpack what it meant to be a Superfan a bit further.

Tom Felton Meets The Superfans BBC Time Made Of Strawberries Un Temps De Fraises

Above: Snapshot from BBC documentary Tom Felton Meets The Superfans

The best place to start when you want to know the meaning of a word is always of course, the dictionary. The Oxford online dictionary defines a Superfan as “a fan especially of a sports team, who admires somebody/something or enjoys watching or listening to somebody/something, more than usual.” While Doctor Who may not be a sports team, instead the longest running sci-fi TV show, I think I can still use this definition as a barometer against which to calibrate Superfandom.

First, I need to set a baseline for “usual”. Is this Countdown? Because off we go to the dictionary corner again. According to the same dictionary, usual means “that happens or is done most of the time or in most cases”. This sets the baseline for usual fandom at: ways of enjoying a franchise that are the most accessible. In the case of Doctor Who for example, that would be simply watching each episode from when it aired. Anything beyond that, such as watching episodes multiple times or investing further in the show in other ways, would bring you towards the Superfan side of the spectrum.

Doctor Who Memorabilia 2 The Doctor Who Site Time Made Of Strawberries Un Temps De Faises

Above: A Doctor Who collection of Daleks, a TARDIS, figures and more. Image credit: The Doctor Who site.

This means that my fellow extra from earlier would categorise as a superfan. Does this mean that anyone who does not own even one Doctor Who Funko Pop, could never dream of qualifying as a superfan? Owning a huge collection is in large part, money based. Whilst it is arguably unfair to dismiss those who would never be able to afford such a collection, it is also not right to dismiss the passion for the show someone must have, to want to do this in the first place. The collector has rightfully earnt their place as a superfan (as long as it’s not just because they couldn’t shift the latest limited edition blu-ray for £1000 on e-bay, after all). Perhaps this just seems like the main representation we get of the superfan. Others are acknowledged in media, though.

Matt Smith The Doctor Doctor Who Fan art Alice X. Zhang Time Made Of Strawberries Un Temps De Fraises

Above: Cosmic Doctor: The 11th Doctor fan at by Alice X. Zhang.

The superfan is sometimes in the media for their fan art. With Doctor Who’s deep history, there is lots to draw inspiration from to create hand drawn, painted or even digital artwork. Spend just a few minutes scrolling through Twitter and you will see a plethora of talent emanating from your screen.

Vincent Van Gogh Tony Curran in Doctor Who by BethanApple on Instagram

Above: A work of art: A pen drawing of Vincent Van Gogh as portrayed by Tony Curran in Doctor Who episode Vincent and The Doctor. Artwork by BethanApple on Instagram.

The talent of Doctor Who fans will astonish you. These fans show that their enjoyment of the show sparks their creativity, prompting them to take their fandom beyond just watching the program.

Doctor Who Series 4 Steelbook Sophie Cowdrey Time Made Of Strawberies Un Temps De Faises

Above: The Doctor Who Series 4 steelbook cover artwork designed by Sophie Cowdrey (@sophiecowdreyart on Instagram)

From The Doctor in her various incarnations to her companions or cross-era mash-ups, for example The 8th Doctor with Bill Potts, there is an array of fantastic artwork from fans. This can give them more material to practise their craft enough to even work on the show one day in an artistic capacity, as Sophie Crowdrey who designed the Doctor Who Series 4 Steelbook did.

There is no way in which these fans have not earnt the “Superfan” title. It’s still important to note though that artwork is money & resources dependent. It also depends on being able to draw. The concept that someone who does not have the funds or resources to produce this art or can not draw could not be a superfan, just does not ring true.

Timey Wimey Productions

Doctor YouTube Channel Timey Wimey Poductions

What about something more inexpensive like running a blog or a successful YouTube or Vimeo channel? Possibly even a successful social media account? Blogs not only take a lot of time and effort to run and promote, they employ a vast skillset. Bloggers need to research and innovate to come up with original articles you will enjoy reading. In the case of writing about a topic the rest of the Doctor Who fandom is already aware of, they need to be quick to beat the rush of every single other Doctor Who Blog writing about it or use a different angle that would warrant a later publishing date.

There is a lot to take into account from photography to logos and website design, as well as interviewing people, given the chance. This is definitely something not done lightly. Most times, this is a hobby fans are trying to squeeze in around their day job that they do not get paid for, with no guarantee anyone will read it at first.

Similarly, YouTube channels and social media accounts have no guarantee of ever being viewed by anyone. The amount of time, energy and creativity fans put into editing videos for, be it YouTube or DailyMotion and perfecting posts for Instagram or Twitter, is definitely a match for a superfan. But when it comes to success, this is tied to likes & impressions in the mediasphere. It’s a numbers game! By that logic, this level of dedication to the show means nothing to your superfan status if you don’t have thousands of likes and followers. Ouch! Sounds harsh.

Also a numbers game and perhaps the most symbolic of a superfan, is autograph & photograph collecting. The autograph & photograph hunters have been synonymous with the term superfan for ages and it’s quite an expensive hobby to keep up.

With conventions increasing in price, along with auto and photo prices, this is not exactly accessible to everyone. But it doesn’t actually have to be expensive. You can go to stage door for free and try to get a photo or auto from your favourite actor if they come out. You might be able to do the same outside red carpets, some of which are wrist-banded to restrict the number in fan areas.

Of course, if you are just after an autograph, you might actually be able to get one for the price of a stamp – well, 2 stamps. You can send fan mail to the agency of the actor of your choice and enclose a stamped SAE (self-addressed envelope), so that they are able to send you a response, including an autograph, if you request one!

While these last methods dramatically take the cost of this activity down, it is still exclusive. The latest figure from l’INSEE (L’Institut National de Statistiques et des Etudes Economiques) reflects that the amount of people in poverty is 14.2%. For such people, the cost of a stamp may be too much, let alone 2 stamps or trying to get into a convention. Unfortunately, being a Doctor Who fan does not automatically grant someone a magic money tree from the Universe.

So, who is the superfan in all of this? Is it the collector? Is it the artist? Is it the fanfiction writer or is it the person who has watched lots of episodes multiple times and can tell you a thing or 2 about them from the top of their heads? It turns out that the superfan is all of these examples. As far as being a superfan goes, you don’t have to have all the money in the world to collect every photograph, autograph or figure. You don’t have to be able to draw or write or even have defined success on your Doctor Who social media account. You just have to enjoy the show, in a more than usual way. There is more than one way of being a superfan, even a free one…

 

DOCTOR WHO: THE EDGE OF TIME

08 May 2020 Leave a comment

by Méls7 in DOCTOR WHO, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Doctor Who The Edge Of Time Logo Time Made Of Strawberries Un Temps De Fraises

Above: Doctor Who: The Edge Of Time logo from an earlier trailer.

An Inside Look At The Brand New Doctor Who VR Game

One sunny August evening, Product Manager Quin escorts me to the Maze Theory London headquarters. Through the high-end secure entrance and the lobby which exudes comfort, we make our way to the bright, spacious Maze Theory office. Dedication, hard work and positive energy in the air, ingredients of the new Doctor Who VR game “The Edge Of Time”.

At this stage, the game development is still in progress. Nevertheless, the game that I test is extraordinary. When I put on my VR headset, I am immediately transported to another world. I feel the nature around me, the tension of hurrying to save the day and the fear of monsters. As far as I am aware, there is no screen separating me from this captivating, time-sensitive world. This time, I am living in an episode of Doctor Who.

The Maze Theory team had taken us through their work on the game, on a widescreen TV. They were also keen on feedback from the eyes of avid Doctor Who viewers. This, an illustration of the passion, drive and painstaking detail they were putting into launching Doctor Who into the world of VR in perfect fashion.

The Edge Of Time is the first VR game to enter the Doctor Who universe.

With Monsters and threats to confront, Doctor Who fans take charge of defeating Daleks and Weeping Angels alike, by stepping into an adventure of their own.

Given some guidance at intermittent points in the game by The Doctor herself (voiced by Jodie Whittaker), players essentially become The Doctor as they are put in charge of their own destiny.

Released in November, the immersive experience filled with thrills, puzzles and tension is available worldwide to all owners of a VR headset via Steam, Oculus and PlayStation store at An RRP of £20 or $25 USD.

Doctor Who The Edge Of Time Neil Millstone Time Made Of Strawberries

Above: Neil Millstone, Lead Developer at Maze theory, pictured here at the Doctor Who: The Edge Of Time stand at London Comic Con MCM Expo in May 2019

Players should “come out thinking they’ve just had an adventure through space and time,” Neil Millstone from Maze Theory tells me.

As a fan of the show, he described working on The Edge Of Time as feeling “like a responsibility… Games based on movies and TV don’t have a great history and… we all wanted to make sure that we did right by the fans. We didn’t want to make a generic game that just happens to have the Doctor Who branding on the top. We wanted to make something that fans and people who knew the series, would identify with and see as part of the Doctor Who world.”

Doctor Who The Edge Of Time Dalek GIF

Above: A Dalek from Doctor Who: The Edge Of Time.

In the initial planning stages, Maze Theory made sure to centre some vital elements in the world of the game. When considering which famous Doctor Who monsters to feature, the Daleks reigned supreme.

Having selected the Daleks as iconic monsters to include and Weeping Angels, they knew they needed to consider the types of environments that would be good to explore next.

“The plot mostly came first and then the gameplay fitted around that.” Neil tells me about the game development process. The balance of the plot and the environment was a key component of constructing the worlds in the game. Neil got an insight into the sheer scale of the game when he was asked to join the project, by being shown a demo of the game featuring the Weeping Angels.

“I was amazed by the Weeping Angels demo,” he told me. “The environment, the look and feel of it. There was something about the demo they showed me that made me think ‘If we can make something Doctor Who that looks like this, then we’re gonna do very well out of it.’”

EOT_WeepingAngels_logo

Above: Don’t blink. A Weeping Angel, as seen in Doctor Who: The Edge Of Time VR game

This really emphasised that Maze Theory had put a lot of work into crafting every detail to build up the perfect fan experience. I very quickly learnt that this has been consistent over the course of the project, which started with a request sent out by the BBC. Since Maze Theory is a recent addition to Output Group, which had worked with the BBC before, this helped them get on the list when the BBC sent out a request for who would be interested in producing a VR game. Marcus Moresby (VR Director at Maze Theory) put together the demo which landed them the project. Project landed, they set to work!

Doctor Who The Edge Of Time Marcus Moresby Time Made Of Strawberries

Above: Marcus Moresby, Creative Director at Maze Theory created the demo which landed them the project.

“We worked very hard to make sure that everything felt Who-y and it felt like something that would appear in the series,” Neil told me. He described every detail the team kept in mind while making the game, to make that world feel authentic.

“The intro sequence is designed to look like the intro to the TV series and getting elements like the TARDIS and the Daleks to be super accurate. All of these things are very important to us. Every module on the Dalek and every dial on the TARDIS is exactly where it should be.”

It is clear that the team knew just how important it was to get every detail right to create the perfect world. Maze Theory enlisted the help of some very knowledgeable Doctor Who cast members to get this spot on.

Above: Nicholas Briggs, the voice of the Daleks pictured here at microphone with ring modulator. Image courtesy of the BBC Doctor Who website.
Above: Jodie Whittaker, the current incarnation of The Doctor pictured here at a Build interview, lent her voice to Doctor Who: The Edge Of Time.

“Obviously, we enlisted the help of Nicholas Briggs and Jodie Whittaker to do the roles that they’re famous for in the series. As soon as we got the voices in, it felt much more like a part of the Who Universe.”

The game development process took about 14 months to complete, from building the team to the final completion stage.

This 14-month process led Maze Theory to an authentic Doctor Who game, in which players will find references to the Whoniverse throughout. This includes the laundrette representing the Totter’s Lane Junkyard and the time cabinet referencing Classic Doctor Who episode Talons of Weng Chang. It is no secret in the worlds of fandom, how dedicated fans are to the show, and how important this accurate detail and authenticity, which remained a constant theme throughout the game’s creation, can be to them. It strikes me that Doctor Who: The Edge of time is not only a chef d’oeuvre and labour of love. It is a love letter to the show itself, to the fans. VR headset firmly in place, I’m sure that fans can only be filled with joy and a sense of adventure.

DOCTOR WHO SERIES 12 SOUNDTRACK OUT APRIL

25 Mar 2020 Leave a comment

by Méls7 in DOCTOR WHO, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Doctor Who Series 12 Soundtrack 2020 Segun Akinola 3 April

The Doctor Who Series 12 Soundtrack composed by Segun Akinola is out 3 April. Image courtesy of Silva Screen Records.

Relive the sonic adventure from the comfort of your own speakers

The Doctor Who Series 12 Soundtrack is set for release early next month. As hiatus begins, fans of the longest-running sci-fi programme will be glad to know that they are able to pre-order the full album now.

Fans will be able to own the thrills and twists of the last series of Doctor Who in musical form on 3 April. Available to pre-order now, the 48-track escapade can be purchased via the Silva Screen Records website on CD, digital download and streaming. Silva Screen, the record label behind the Doctor Who soundtrack releases, tells Time Made Of Strawberries the album will be released through “an all distributions channel, so it will be available in all shops that want to stock it.” This will certainly include stores such as HMV and independent record stores, but due to shelf space will only include supermarkets if they wish to stock it.

A spokesperson for Silva Screen added “there’s a possibly that we may put it out on vinyl later in the year, but that’s not confirmed yet.”

DWS12 Soundtrack The Doctor And The Master Album Artwork Silva Screen Time Made Of Strawberries

The two-volume Doctor Who series 12 soundtrack will have album artwork featuring The Master, The Doctor, Yaz, Ryan and Graham. Credit: Silva Screen Records.

Retailing at £9.99, the 48-track album will be spread across two volumes, including “new themes for The Master and the Cyberman and celebrates the epic, action packed storytelling of series 12,” Silva Screen says. Fans will be able to listen to The Spy Master, The Lighthouse, Something Is Coming For Me and a special appearance from the Doctor Who Series 12 Opening Titles music in volume 1. Across volume 2, await titles such as She Was The Universe, Brendan, The Ascension Shall Begin, The Division, Tecteun, Cybermasters and Time Lords.

The twelfth series of Doctor Who came to a close Sunday night, with The Timeless Children as the concluding episode to an epic two-part finale. From the Spyfall opening two-parter to the unexpected plot-twist in Fugitive of the Judoon, scenes were woven with moving, emotional and captivating musical notes carefully crafted by the show’s composer Segun Akinola.

cHRIS cHIBNALL, sEGUN aKINOLA AND jODIE wHITTAKER dOCTOR wHO BBC Time Made Of Strawberries

Doctor Who Showrunner Chris Chibnall (left) praises Segun Akinola’s (centre) work. Jodie Whittaker who plays The Doctor stands right. Credit: Doctor Who Page.

Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall has highly appraised Akinola’s work, telling Silva Screen “his extraordinarily eclectic, bold and emotional scores for the series are part of Doctor Who’s identity.” He added “this collection showcases the range, ambition, precision and brilliance of Segun as a composer.”

Segun has been composing for Doctor Who since 2017 and has clearly been enjoying his new role. Speaking to Silva Screen, he says “From the experimental sounds of ‘Orphan 55’ to the emotional rollercoaster of ‘The Timeless Children’, it’s been a complete joy working on the music for Series 12 and I hope that whilst listening to this album, fans can relive all their favourite moments.”

DWS12 Soundtrack Ruth and The Doctor Artwork Time Made Of Strawberries Segun Akinola

The Doctor Who Series 12 Soundtrack CD album art. Credit: Silva Screen Records.

Looking back on the series 11 soundtrack and knowing what is to come, it’s fair to say Segun has proven himself to be a fantastic successor.

His predecessor Murray Gold composed for the show from its revival in 2005, with Series 1 until series 10 in 2017. Yet, the series 10 soundtrack has still not been released to date. Silva Screens had fans on “Doctor Who Soundtrack Watch” until 2017 when they finally announced the release of the series 9 soundtrack. The series had aired in 2015. Is a Doctor Who Series 10 soundtrack still to follow?

BBC_Worldwide_Logo BBC Studios Wikipedia Time Made Of Strawberries

BBC Worldwide now BBC Studios sold the rights to Doctor Who music back in 2016. Credit: Wikipedia

In 2016, the rights of Doctor Who music were sold by BBC Worldwide (now BBC Studios) to BMG. Since all prior Silva Screen soundtrack releases are from seasons which aired before that year, does that compromise the possibility of a series 10 soundtrack release? According to Silva Screen, in short, no. “I think that that doesn’t affect us. We would still license it from BBC Studios, as they’re now called. It’s just not available. I don’t know why that is. I can only assume it’s probably something just to do with they haven’t got the music from the composer yet. I really don’t know. But I just know it’s not available for us to release.”

Since it would appear the fate of the Doctor Who Series 10 soundtrack might well be linked with BBC Studios or BMG, both have been contacted for further comment and are currently still investigating what happened with the soundtrack. As soon as there are any updates regarding this or a possible future release, you will hear it here first.

Edit 30.03.2020: According to an update from BBC Studios, fans should not expect a Doctor Who Series 10 soundtrack any time soon. It would appear that its fate does not lie with BMG after all, since Silva Screen Records do still hold the license to it. In response to Time Made Of Strawberries’ query about the soundtrack, BBC Studios said:

“The rights to the Doctor Who Series 10 soundtrack are on licence from Silva Screen Records. There are currently no plans to release the soundtrack to the consumer market.”

So, fans can free up that shelf space put aside for the Series 10 soundtrack and replace it with the Series 12 soundtrack when it does arrive next week.

For now, fans will have to wait and see. But there is not too long to wait until the Doctor Who Soundtrack of the series with arguably, the most epic finale yet. Speaking of the upcoming release, Chibnall said “No Doctor Who fan should be without it, and no lover of contemporary film scores should miss it.” You’ve been told.

Jodie Whittaker Cast as “The Ultimate Character” – The 13th Doctor

06 Aug 2017 1 Comment

Jodie Whittaker Is The 13th Doctor.png

Almost 54 years later, Doctor Who casts a woman for the prestigious leading role

By Mélissa M Azombo

So, the wait to find out who will play The 13th Doctor is finally over and the time has come for the Time Lord’s next face to be revealed. During today’s Wimbledon final on BBC 1, it turned out to be no other than Broadchurch’s Jodie Whittaker.

During a one-minute clip, the suspense was killing Whovians accross the UK, (soon to be the world, as the clip later made the rounds online) as they eagerly waited to discover who The 13th Doctor was to be played by. After hours of sitting through tennis, when yet again Doctor Who fans were expected to sit through sport for a major Doctor Who reveal (Bill Potts reveal-style), it was unveiled the next Doctor was to be played by a woman, with the face of Jodie Wittaker for the first time.

The 35-year-old actress has a vast acting career in her pocket. Since graduating from Guildhall School of Music and Drama with the gold medal in acting, she has starred in the St Trinnian’s films, Attack The Block and most recently ITV drama Broadchurch, penned by soon-to-be Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall.

Doctor Who actors welcomed the news, with Colin Baker tweeting “Change, my dears and it appears, not a moment to soon. She IS The Doctor, whether you like it or not,” paraphrasing a quote from his run as The Doctor.

Time For Change?

However, not all fans agree with the change. Some fans believe this casting decision alone, will damage the show, while others call it satisfying political correctness. Despite some, already refusing to continue watching the show, a large proportion of the fans are praising this decision. While some are glad it is finally a woman after all previous actors being men, others are just welcoming the casting of a talented actress.

On the topic of being the first woman to play the role, Whittaker told the Doctor Who team “I want to tell fans not to be scared by my gender… Doctor Who fans have lived through so many changes and this is only a new, different one, not a fearful one.”

The Yorkshire-born actress who has already had a brush with the Whoniverse, standing in for past Doctor Who actress Carey Mulligan in stage production The Seagull and acting opposite 9th Doctor Christopher Ecclestone in Antigone at The National Theatre, is “most excited” about fully becoming a part of the Doctor Who family. Talking to the Doctor Who website, she said “To be asked to play the ultimate character, to get to play pretend in the truest form: this is why I wanted to be an actor in the first place.”

She continued, making it clear that taking on this “unbelievable opportunity”, required no hesitation on her behalf. “If you need to be persuaded to do this part, you’re not right for this part and this part isn’t right for you.”

It is very clear she knows how iconic the role is, even choosing “The Clooney” as a code name for it, at home and with her agent, “because to me and my husband, George [Clooney] is an iconic guy.”

She has called being the 13th Doctor so far “nerve-wracking, because everything’s been so secret.” This is no longer her secret, so hopefully Jodie is now feeling a bit less nervous, ready for fans to see her in the role for the first time during the final minutes of the Doctor Who Christmas Special on BBC 1 on Christmas Day.

In the mean time, the only Doctor fans can see Jodie as, will be as her character who plays a nurse pretending to be a doctor in BBC Drama Trust me on Tuesday 8th August 2017 at 21h00.

Image by Méls7