I was expecting far, faaaaar worse from Matt Smith to be honest. He won me over from Fish Custard onwards. He does the whole old man thing well enough for a mid-20 something bloke. Also he's sort of Troughtonish which isn't bad.

I like Matt Smith as the Doctor, but I've found the stories since he's been the doctor to be a lot weaker than the stories of the Eccelston/Tennant doctors.

I actually prefer the Matt Smith series writing. There hasn't been an episode where I've gone "nope, never watching that again" for instance, whereas with Eccleston/Tennant there were at least two. The episode with the blowjob by a concrete slab is one.

? :-k
Remind me...

Series 3 has been the most solid in my opinion with Martha Jones and some of the best Master storylines ever.

Jen up on who is who

BBC By COLIN ROBERTSON Published: Today at 01:12


Dr Who’s new assistant could be called Clara

FANS claim they overheard Matt Smith calling Jenna-Louise Coleman the name
Steven reveals his superstitionKaren Gillan's still got model looks Actor Matt Smith and show newbie Jenna-Louise Coleman have been filming scenes for the forthcoming Christmas special, when Jenna’s character will be introduced.

Speaking of his new companion, Matt said last night: “It’s going well. Jenna brings a really different energy to the show – one which I think is very interesting.”

Jenna takes over from Karen Gillan, who has played Amy Pond for the past two years.

The pair were gallivanting around Cardiff Bay yesterday, filming scenes in the legendary TARDIS.

Matt was snapped talking on an old-fashioned phone and pulling funny faces.

But despite his extra-terrestrial powers, the Doctor still had to grab an umbrella as the rain battered the cast and crew.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/4362786/Jen-up-on-who-is-who.html

BBC to make a drama about the origins of Dr Who

From: News Limited Network August 10, 2012 9:40AM

DR WHO is taking a trip back into time to revisit its origins in a 90-minute TV movie. But it's not what you may think.

..The BBC drama is about how the unlikely concept of an old man who can travel through time and space in an old blue police box was invented, developed and sold to suspicious television producers.

A press release states Mark Gatiss is writing the drama about the show's first director Waris Hussein and its other creators - all of whom were considered outcasts and upstarts in the staid old public institution.

"This is the story of how an unlikely set of brilliant people created a true television original," Gatiss says in the release.

"And how an actor - William Hartnell - stereotyped in hard-man roles became a hero to millions of children. I've wanted to tell this story for more years than I can remember! To make it happen for Doctor Who's 50th birthday is quite simply a dream come true."

It is slated for broadcast in November, 2013

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/tv-radio/bbc-to-make-a-drama-about-the-origins-of-dr-who/story-e6frf9ho-1226447342618

Longest time between drinks, wtf is series 7 gonna start

DOCTOR WHO
Series 7, Asylum of the Daleks
When the Doctor is kidnapped by his oldest foe, he is forced on an impossible mission.

FIRST BROADCAST: 01 Sep 2012

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00xtbyk

Dr Who on iview as soon as it has screened in the UK
28 August 2012 , 11:17 AM by Spencer Howson

ABC TV media release

ABC TV is thrilled to announce that in true time-lord style, the first episode of season seven of Doctor Who - Asylum of the Daleks - will now premiere on iview Sunday September 2nd from 5.10am AEST immediately after its UK launch on September 1st.

The new series of Doctor Who including Asylum of the Daleks then starts on ABC1 the following Saturday September 8 at 7.30pm AEST, and is also repeated on ABC2 from Tuesday September 11th at 9.30pm AEST.
ABC1 Controller Brendan Dahill said, “For Doctor Who fans, it is a fantastic opportunity to see new episodes within hours of them premiering in the UK – each episode will be available on iview on Sundays.”

“ABC’s iview is the most watched catch-up service in Australia with 48% of online Australians aged 16+ having accessed iview,” said Dahill.

“The new iview app for iphones and iPod Touch, launched on June 26th, has seen a phenomenal 434,000 downloads recorded to date – with 210,000 downloads recorded in its first week.”

Join the Doctor (Matt Smith), the Ponds and numerous friends on their latest escapades through space and time where they puzzle an unexpected invasion of Earth, save a spaceship full of dinosaurs, don Stetsons in a wild wild-west adventure, and are even kidnapped by the Doctor's oldest foe.

The explosive series concludes with Amy (Karen Gillan) and Rory's (Arthur Darvill) heart-breaking farewell, which becomes a race against time through the streets of Manhattan. Will the Doctor really lose the Ponds forever?

There's only one way to find out. Watch the series trailer.

Doctor Who: Asylum of the Daleks premieres on iview Sunday September 2nd from 5.10am AEST. Season seven starts on ABC1 Saturdays at 7.30pm from September 8th, and is also repeated on ABC2 Tuesdays at 9.30pm from September 11th.

Dr Who transports ABC to forefront of anti-piracy war

September 3, 2012 - 2:46PM
.
The new Dr Who episode created a new record for the ABC's iView platform.

The cashed-up commercial TV sector is the loudest voice in the room when it comes to complaining about piracy. To the government. To internet service providers. And to their audience.

But on the weekend it was the humble national broadcaster, our dear old Aunty, that took the fight to the pirates and won.

The ABC's decision to launch the new series of Doctor Who via its iView online platform a week before airing it on TV has paid dividends.


..Almost 80,000 diehard Doctor Who fans pounced and watched the episode, titled Asylum of the Daleks, on Sunday. That is a record for the iView site, clocking the most plays by one program in a 24-hour period since its launch.

That number probably represents only 10 to 15 per cent of its total potential TV audience, but the move is significant because it effectively closes the window on online piracy.

Research shows the period in which content (films, music and TV) is vulnerable to piracy is the period between when it launches internationally and when it launches in local markets.

By making Doctor Who available to its viewers immediately after it airs in Britain, the ABC is effectively circumventing any inclination fans might have to download it from an unlicensed source.

The episode was significant because it featured the return of the show's iconic villains - the Daleks - and because it featured several different types of Dalek, from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

Because of that, the episode's debut was preceded by a massive global marketing campaign. The ABC's bold strategy effectively unlocked enormous value from the global marketing machinery behind the show.

Most commercial networks now "fast track" key overseas programs because of pressure from viewers and the fear of losing audiences to online downloading, but they tackle it with varying levels of enthusiasm and success.

The commercial broadcasters usually announce their fast-tracking plans closer to the launch of the US season, typically around September or October.

One of the biggest hurdles in getting TV network programmers to back strategies such as these is the long-held belief that any support for online playback would discourage TV use.

But that position - which is, incredibly, still expressed behind closed doors in many network offices - is increasingly looking archaic.

It is also fuelled by a philosophy of subtraction - that is, any viewer not watching via a traditional TV set is a set of eyeballs considered lost.

Most blue-chip international broadcasters, such as the BBC and the US free-to-air networks NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox, are increasingly adopting a philosophy of addition - that is, audiences viewing programs on any platform are considered part of a cumulative total.

The ABC's 75,900 Doctor Who "views" on iView will not realistically damage the episode's broadcast potential.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that many of those iView-ers would have downloaded the program via bit torrent networks anyway, and that many will still watch the TV broadcast in order to participate in so-called "second-screen" activity, such as interacting on Twitter and Facebook, in real time.

By drawing them to iView, the ABC is able to encourage the habit of watching programs from licensed broadcasters, and also exposes them to the broadcaster's slate of other content.

The ABC iView record set by Doctor Who is for most plays in a 24-hour period. The previous record-holder was the debut of Angry Boys, but the ABC points out that the iView system is now available on multiple platforms, making direct comparisons difficult.



Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/dr-who-transports-abc-to-forefront-of-antipiracy-war-20120903-259qo.html#ixzz25Oln0nJi

That number probably represents only 10 to 15 per cent of its total potential TV audience, but the move is significant because it effectively closes the window on online piracy.

Lol wut.

I was watching a 720p download rip probably before it was up on iVew.

I just had a look at iView, it's quality was garbage, probably worse than SD.

Until the broadcasters offer HD free programs (or 1080p HD paid ad-free), I'll continue to download.

'Doctor Who' exec Steven Moffat: 'Amy and Rory get fitting end'

Published Sunday, Sep 16 2012, 9:01am EST | By Morgan Jeffery

Steven Moffat has promised "a fitting end" to the story of Doctor Who companions Amy and Rory.

The pair - played by Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill - will depart the sci-fi drama in forthcoming mid-series finale 'The Angels Take Manhattan'.


"All stories have to end, and painful though that is, the most important thing about a story is how it finished," said Moffat. "I had over a year's warning to get this sorted out, and I'm very proud of what we've done. A fitting end to the mighty era of the Ponds!"

Head writer and showrunner Moffat explained that he had devised the characters' exit while in New York, which influenced the episode's setting.

"There was something about [returning monsters] the Weeping Angels and New York that just seemed to make sense to me," he revealed. "And I thought of the story for this episode while in New York.

"It's always good to find a new form for [the Angels] and we've got little cherubs this time. I had loads of ideas for the Weeping Angels on both the previous stories that I never got anywhere close to using, so it was good to find the opportunity."

Moffat previously revealed to Digital Spy that he "completely" rewrote Amy and Rory's final scenes after completing his first draft.

"I completely changed the ending as I was writing it, thinking 'No, I've got it wrong... I'm on the wrong emphasis' - but it's a good one and it's properly emotional," he insisted.

http://www.digitalspy.com.au/british-tv/s7/doctor-who/news/a405777/doctor-who-exec-steven-moffat-amy-and-rory-get-fitting-end.html

David Tennant and Billie Piper return for Dr Who’s 50th

Duo ... Dr Who stars David Tennant and Billie Piper
By LAURA ARMSTRONG
Published: 31st March 2013
15

FORMER Doctor Who David Tennant and sidekick Billie Piper will return for a 50th anniversary show, bosses revealed yesterday.
David last appeared alongside Billie Piper’s Rose Tyler in 2010 finale The End of Time.
They will revive their partnership to join current Time Lord Matt Smith and companion Jenna-Louise Coleman.
Veteran actor John Hurt is also set to appear in the special show to be screened later this year.
The cast was unveiled ahead of the Doctor’s return last night for a new eight-part run.
The special show — to begin filming next week — was written by Steven Moffat and will be directed by Nick Hurran.
Tenth doctor David, 41 — thought to have earned £1million a year for the role — played the Time Lord for five years after replacing Christopher Eccleston.
Then-unknown Matt took up the role in 2010. But earlier this month The Sun revealed bosses are lining up his exit for Christmas — with a 12th Time Lord waiting in the wings.


Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/4867389/david-tennant-and-billie-piper-to-star-in-dr-who-anniversary-show.html#ixzz2PBwVsGff