Thrilling Take Over TV Schedule ANNOUNCED!!!

[Rob McCow]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-24030127

Doctor Who 50th anniversary schedule announced by BBC

The BBC has announced a raft of programmes to mark the 50th anniversary of the first episode of Doctor Who.

A 75-minute special called The Day Of The Doctor will star the soon-to-leave Matt Smith and David Tennant.

Smith said: "Hope you all enjoy. There's lots more coming your way."

Other highlights include a BBC Two lecture by Professor Brian Cox on the science behind the hit show and the drama An Adventure In Space and Time, written by Mark Gatiss.

The one-off programme stars David Bradley, of the Harry Potter films, as William Hartnell - who was the first Doctor in 1963.

Restored episodes

BBC Four will introduce new audiences to Hartnell, with a re-run of the first ever story. The four episodes are being shown in a restored format, not previously broadcast in the UK.

BBC Two's flagship arts programme The Culture Show is to present Me, You and Doctor Who, with lifelong fan Matthew Sweet exploring the cultural significance of the BBC's longest running TV drama.

A 90-minute documentary on BBC Radio 2 will ask "Who Is The Doctor?" - using newly-recorded interviews and exclusive archive material to find an answer - while BBC Three will be home to several commissions.

For those less familiar with the show, Doctor Who: The Ultimate Guide will provide a handy primer.

Danny Cohen, Director BBC Television said: "It's an astonishing achievement for a drama to reach its 50th anniversary.

"I'd like to thank every person - on both sides of the camera - who has been involved with its creative journey over so many years."

Smith has already started filming his final scenes as the Doctor, which are due to air in this year's Christmas episode. His replacement, Scots actor Peter Capaldi, was announced in August.

Steven Moffat, lead writer and executive producer on Doctor Who said: "50 years has turned Doctor Who from a television show into a cultural landmark. Personally I can't wait to see what it becomes after a hundred."

So the special is now standing at 75 minutes, which is disappointing. There are a couple of disappointing-sounding documentaries. Disappointingly, BBC4 are showing the worthy-but-dull caveman episodes again. It's a raft of disappointment sailing on a sea of let-down! [/CaptainNegative]

Oh! And a Radio 2 Thingy. Woot.

[SiHart]

So you're disappointed then?

[Dino]

I log off for just one hour... and all this happens!!
The only cloud is we appear to be getting only 4 classic episodes on BBC Four, instead of a whole series of them.
But out with the old!

[SiHart]

Well, being an eternal optimist, I think it all sounds fine. I like the sound of the Matthew Sweet documentary, and it promises there are "several" commissions coming from BBC Three, which is more than they've so far let on.
If nothing else, it's more than the BBC have done for any other Doctor Who anniversary ever!

[duncan]

I agree.

Although I was hoping for 90mins for the anniversay special.

[SiHart]

Oddly the BBC report has been taken down now.

[Dino]

Oddly the BBC report has been taken down now.

Too slow for the Internet though! So is this another in the chain of cock ups?

[SiHart]

Maybe it's to add the news about all the missing episodes being recovered?

[Rob McCow]

chain of cock ups

It's like cock up dominoes at the BBC it really is.

[Andrew Curnow]

I rather like that all the BBCs seem to be getting involved - The Day of the Doctor (for the record, I like that title) on One, Adventures... on Two, some docu-stuff on Three, and An Unearthly Child/The Tribe of Gum/100,000 BC on Four.

To be honest, it all sounds lovely - it's only because Mr M referred to "Doctor Who will take over TV" in a typically overhype-ing way, that it sounds in any way disappointing.

[Rob McCow]

Short of having a BBC1 Doctor Who Day with every other show bowing down in reverence to the almighty Who, it was bound to be disappointing.

[Nyder]

I'm pleased with it.

[SiHart]

Full details now available:

The countdown starts here as the BBC reveals its plans to take over TV and radio to mark the Doctor’s 50th anniversary.

With special programmes planned across the BBC, the celebrations will peak on 23 November with the anniversary episode, revealed as The Day Of The Doctor. Starring Matt Smith, David Tennant and Jenna Coleman with Billie Piper and John Hurt, the special for BBC One has been confirmed as feature-length, with 75 minutes of adventure.

Matt Smith, who plays the Doctor, says: “The Day Of The Doctor is nearly here! Hope you all enjoy. There’s lots more coming your way, as the countdown to the 50th begins now.”

Each channel will be home to unique content, celebrating the wealth of history and talent from the last 50 years.

BBC Two will broadcast a number of new commissions, focusing on telling the story behind the show. For one night only, Professor Brian Cox will take an audience of celebrity guests and members of the public on a journey into the wonderful universe of the Doctor, from the lecture hall of the Royal Institution of Great Britain (1x60 minutess). Drawing on the latest theories, as well as 200 years of scientific discoveries and the genius of Einstein, Brian tries to answer the classic questions raised by the Doctor: Can you really travel in time? Does extra-terrestrial life exist in our galaxy? And how do you build something as fantastical as the TARDIS?

In an hour-long special, BBC Two’s flagship arts programme The Culture Show presents Me, You And Doctor Who (1x60 minutes), with lifelong fan Matthew Sweet exploring the cultural significance of the BBC’s longest running TV drama, arguing that it’s one of the most important cultural artefacts of modern Britain. Put simply, Doctor Who matters. He’ll examine how the show has become a cultural force in its own right and tell the stories of some of the unsung cultural heroes, who pioneered its innovative music, design and storytelling.

BBC Two wraps up its coverage with the previously announced An Adventure In Space and Time (1x90 minutes), which will tell the story of the genesis of Doctor Who and the many personalities involved. Written by Mark Gatiss, the drama stars David Bradley (the Harry Potter films); Brian Cox (The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Identity), Jessica Raine (Call The Midwife) and Sacha Dhawan (History Boys, Last Tango In Halifax).

Steven Moffat, lead writer and executive producer of Doctor Who, says: "Fifty years has turned Doctor Who from a television show into a cultural landmark. Personally I can't wait to see what it becomes after a hundred."

BBC Four will introduce audiences to the first Doctor, William Hartnell, with a special re-run of the first-ever story, which marked the start of 50 years of history. The four episodes are being shown in a restored format, not previously broadcast in the UK.

There will also be programmes across CBBC with 12 Again (1x30 minutes) bringing together CBBC’s super-fan Chris Johnson, impressionist Jon Culshaw, Tommy Knight (Luke Smith), Warwick Davis (Porridge), Neve McIntosh (Madame Vastra), Dan Starkey (Strax) Louise Jameson (Leela) and the seventh Doctor, Sylvester McCoy, to share their memories of watching TV’s top Time Lord when they were young.

Blue Peter will launch an exciting new competition giving viewers aged between six and 14 the opportunity to design a new gadget that will become part of the iconic science fiction series. Two live Blue Peter specials will see presenters Barney, Lindsey and Radzi joined by aliens and monsters, with viewers challenging Matt Smith to answer their Doctor Who questions.

BBC Three will be home to several exciting entertainment commissions. Audiences will be encouraged to get involved and vote in Doctor Who: Monsters And Villains Weekend, as we countdown to the top Doctor Who monster. For those less familiar with the show, Doctor Who: The Ultimate Guide will introduce fans and viewers to a wealth of archive material and act as a guide to all things Who. A further exciting commission to be announced later this year will see the celebrations finish with a bang.

Danny Cohen, Director of BBC Television, says: “Doctor Who is a titan of British television and I’m incredibly proud to have it on the BBC. It's an astonishing achievement for a drama to reach its 50th anniversary. I'd like to thank every person - on both sides of the camera - who has been involved with its creative journey over so many years.”

It’s not just TV where audiences will be able join in the celebrations; programming across Radio 2, Radio 1 and Radio 4 Extra will also mark the 50th.

BBC Radio 2 will ask Who Is The Doctor? in a 90-minute documentary featuring newly recorded interviews and exclusive archive material. The programme will look at the lasting appeal of Doctor Who and ask how much of its continued success can be attributed to its basic formula.

In The Blagger’s Guide To Doctor Who, David Quantick will give the iconic Doctor the Blagger’s treatment. He’ll be finding out the answers to questions such as, why do Americans think Tom Baker is still Doctor Who? How many Doctors have there really been? Were the Daleks really named after an encyclopaedia?

Finally, Graham Norton will be broadcasting his weekly Radio 2 show live (Saturday 23 November, 10am) from the Doctor Who Celebration in London. In a special three-hour show, Graham will take a ride in the TARDIS and will also be chatting with some of the series’ stars and fans.

Music is a key part of Doctor Who, from the famous theme tune to soaring melodies, but the show has also inspired a whole new phenomenon – Time Lord Rock (TROCK). Radio 1 will look at this genre of music inspired by the Doctor and his journeys through space and time with a 60-minute documentary.

Meanwhile, Radio 4 Extra travels back to 1963 with a three-hour special programme, Who Made Who?, to look at the world that inspired the television series. Doctor Who may have come from other times, but his roots were very much in the present of 1960s Britain. This distinctive programme combines audio from the archive, new interviews and extracts from audio versions of Doctor Who. Additionally, the station will broadcast readings and dramas featuring the great Doctor.

There will also be special content across the official website bbc.co.uk/doctorwho and on BBC iPlayer.

[Rob McCow]

That sounds a lot better actually!

[SiHart]

There's a lot of it. And there's still stuff they haven't announced yet in that announcement! As I said yesterday it's more than the BBC has ever done for Doctor Who before.

[Antony Cox]

I think just showing An Unearthly Child is probably a good idea - it's obviously the right story for anyone new to DW as it's inescapably the origin of the series whether you like it or not. I think a run of other classis episodes (particularly B&W ones) would fall flat on its face with limited interest other than for fanboys, and most (if not all) of us have all the existing episodes on DVD anyway - just look at what happened when BBC2 tried a long run of stories in 1992*.

^{*OK - I admit that DW was in the doldrums then and the New Series and all it's success was more than a decade away.}

Pleased with all the celebrations though!

[Ian Lethbridge-Stewart]

It's a good line up of events. I'm just worried I will forget when things are on. The SKY box will be very busy. I'll still be catching up with this lot for most of 2014!

[Rob McCow]

I'll still be catching up with this lot for most of 2014!

And the rest will be watched by 2063...

[Stuart Wallis]

By which time those of us who are left will have a whole host of stuff to be watching - Harry Styles remeniscing about playing the 17th Doctor; the Professor Brian Cox clone (literally!), explaining how science has come on since we had piffling HD TV and 2D Blu-ray; Tom'll still be around somewhere...

[duncan]

Doctor Who News have added an update in red text stating;

"Update 11 Sep: the BBC have informed us that the broadcast of An Unearthly Child is currently unconfirmed, pending the resolution of issues with one of the episodes - more details as and when we are updated."

I wonder what those issues could be? Royalty fees maybe?

[Rob McCow]

"Update 11 Sep: the BBC have informed us that the broadcast of An Unearthly Child is currently unconfirmed, pending the resolution of issues with one of the episodes - more details as and when we are updated."

What a wind-up!

There are a few alternatives here:
1) They've noticed that one of the episodes is in 4:3 aspect ratio - what's more, they only appear to have a black and white copy.
2) Terry Nation's estate.
3) They're actually going to show The Myth Makers.

[SiHart]

I think the issue may be with the Doctor seen to be smoking.

[Stuart Wallis]

It's that or John Smith and the Common Men wanting paying, isn't it?

[Jon Masters]

Susan's erotic dancing in Episode 1 would require an 18 classification, and so only a late night BBC3 showing would be possible

[duncan]

Someone on Digital Spy says the DVD is a U certificate, so it can't be anything to do with what is seen on screen.