Doctor Who: Series 11 - Lee Mack reveals surprise role

Following the revelation a few weeks ago that Alan Cumming was set to play James I in Doctor Who, another star has now revealed they’re joining the BBC sci-fi series – Would I Lie to You and Not Going Out star Lee Mack.

“Not only am I excited about the idea of someone being in Doctor Who, I am also possibly gonna be in it as well,” Mack said on Radio 4’s Loose Ends, where he was appearing with already-confirmed series 11 star Sharon D Clarke.

“And I wasn’t supposed to say anything, but because [Sharon] said that I thought ‘Well I’m gonna say it then!’ Neither of us should have said it.

“I am blink-and-you’ll-miss-it. It’s just a little thing. I’ve just been a fan all my life, so I just harassed them until they gave me a little part in it.”

And in fact, it sounds like Mack went to quite a lot of effort to argue for his small role, drawing upon his deep-seated love of Doctor Who to convince series showrunner Chris Chibnall.

“I even sent Chris, who runs the show, Chris Chibnall, a video of me getting out of my own Tardis, which I own,” he said. “With a Dalek, which I own as well! And I said ‘Come on!’

“It’s genuinely a true story – I’ve got a Tardis at home, it’s not bigger on the inside. And I said ‘Come on, give me a part.’ And he said ‘Alright!’ So that’s what you need to do if you want a part in something. Just send a video to someone, you’ll get the part.”

Though of course, now he’s let the cat out of the bag it might be a different story…

“Now I’m not gonna get the part because they’re gonna say ‘We told you not to say anything!’” Mack laughed.

“But because Sharon said it I thought I’m allowed to say it.”

Exactly how big a part Mack may have or whether it’s just a brief cameo remains to be seen, but it definitely seems like Chibnall is bringing in a very interesting collection of guest stars to adventure with Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor.

The BBC have been contacted for comment

Doctor Who returns to BBC1 this autumn

Source: Radio Times

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Christopher Eccleston says Doctor Who exit almost destroyed his career

Christopher Eccleston has claimed that his exit from Doctor Who almost destroyed his career in a new interview.

Speaking to The Guardian, Eccleston reflected on his decision to leave the iconic show after just one series and didn't hold back on the BBC's handling of the situation, as well as his role in rebooting the classic show.

"What happened around Doctor Who almost destroyed my career. I gave them a hit show and I left with dignity and then they put me on a blacklist," he alleged.

"I was carrying my own insecurities as it was something I had never done before and then I was abandoned, vilified in the tabloid press and blacklisted. I was told by my agent at the time, 'The BBC regime is against you. You're going to have to get out of the country and wait for regime change.'"

Digital Spy has reached out to the BBC for comment.

Since his Doctor Who exit, Eccleston has appeared in BBC shows like The Shadow Line and The A Word, but famously turned down the chance to appear in Doctor Who's 50th anniversary special, something Steven Moffat spoke about earlier this year.

"Christopher Eccleston said no, and that was awful, that was just awful. I was so depressed that day, because I'd written most of the script and he was in it. I didn't know what to do," he recalled.

Doctor Who series 11 is expected to premiere later this year on BBC One in the UK and BBC America in the US.

Credit: Digital Spy

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How the 11th Doctor nearly ended up playing professional football

The Crown star Matt Smith has opened up about the back condition which ended his promising football career.

The actor, 35, suffers from spondylosis and only took up acting after the injury scuppered his chances of making it as a footballer when he was released by Leicester City aged 16.

He told Kirsty Young on Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs: “It was a tough time because I just felt unfulfilled, to be honest, I felt like I was so certain that that is what I was going to do.

“It was very difficult for me to tell people that I had been released because the vain part of me was like, I am that and I am the footballer, you know, and at school I was the footballer and suddenly I wasn’t that,” the former Doctor Who star said.

“Fortuitously there was a drama teacher, Terry Hardingham, who said, ‘you were never meant to be a footballer, I always thought you were really great at acting’.”

Smith said he considered acting to be “a bit girly” at the time, adding: “I kept it secret for a bit.

"But, I got the same sense of freedom doing that, which is really difficult now as an actor, that I did playing football.”

The actor also revealed he had been “thinking about kids quite a lot” and would like “a lot of them”.

“A lot of my friends are having children and dare I say it I think I’d be quite a good dad," he said.

"I guess in the fantasised version of my life I have a big family and loads of dogs and all that,” he said.

Asked about the doubts raised by fans over his age and experience when cast in Doctor Who, Smith said: “I’d walk down the street and people would say things like ‘don’t break it’.

“But I think I’d be quite a good boxer, like I think I’m quite good on the ropes. If you back me into a corner, I’ll come out punching.”

Among his song choices were The Notorious B.I.G’s Juicy, LCD Soundsystem’s All My Friends and Luciano Pavarotti’s Nessun Dorma.

Desert Island Discs is on BBC Radio 4 on Sunday at 11.15am.

Credit: Leicester Mercury

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Matt Smith 'nearly turned down Doctor Who'

Actor Matt Smith has revealed he nearly turned down his career-making role as the 11th Doctor in Doctor Who.

Speaking on Desert Island Discs, Smith said he had had "a wobble" after being told he'd be David Tennant's successor.

"I was like, 'I don't think I'm going to do it'," he told BBC Radio 4. "My agent said, 'You're going to do it.'"

He also said he was "the wrong class" to play Prince Philip in The Crown but had pulled it off thanks to "a great wig".

"He's a rock star," Smith told presenter Kirsty Young, revealing he had "kind of sided" with the royal consort he played in two series of the Netflix drama.

Smith made his first appearance as the Doctor in 2010 and continued in the role until 2014, when he was replaced by Peter Capaldi.

The Northampton native said he had "loved every minute" of playing a Time Lord, even if it did lead to some curious encounters.

During the interview, he also recalled seeing tattoos of his face on the flesh of dedicated "Whovians", one of whom had "me and David [Tennant] on both thighs".

Smith described Jodie Whittaker as "a brilliant choice" to play the sci-fi drama's first female Doctor.

"The show relies on big, broad, creative brushstrokes," the actor continued. "It's brilliant, it's high time and she'll be sensational."

Smith said he had not given Whittaker any advice but admitted in the interview that playing the Doctor had sometimes been an ordeal.

"It's the hardest thing you'll ever do in your life," he said, citing the "gargantuan number of lines" as a major factor.

Smith also revealed he had been "thinking about kids quite a lot" recently and that he'd "like a lot of them".

"A lot of my friends are having children," he told Young. "I think I'd be a good dad."

Desert Island Discs is on BBC Radio 4 at 11:15 GMT.

Credit: BBC Entertainment News

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‘Da Vinci’s Demons’ star Tom Riley joins ‘Doctor Who’ series 8

32 year-old British actor Tom Riley is set to appear in the upcoming eighth series of Doctor Who in an episode written by veteran Who scribe Mark Gatiss.

Riley has previously appeared in detective dramas Lewis and Monroe, St Trinian’s 2: The Legend of Fritton’s Gold (alongside former Doctor Who star David Tennant), comedy series Twenty Twelve and STARZ’s Da Vinci’s Demons, in which he plays Leonardo Da Vinci.

On the news, Riley tweeted: “Well, that’s out then. I’ve been a massive fan since I was even smaller than Jenna. Very excited. @MarkGatiss’s script is awesome.”

Just as Riley’s exact role remains a mystery, little is known of his episode as a whole although it has been confirmed that Gatiss is writing two episodes for Capaldi’s Doctor. However, Gatiss has clarified that though he has been commissioned for two episodes, “that doesn’t mean they’ll both necessarily be in this season.”

Facts about the new series are slowly coming together. Besides Mark Gatiss, other confirmed writers include Steven Moffat, Stephen Thompson and Phil Ford, while the other big guest name so far announced to be appearing in the series is Keeley Hawes.

Hawes, known for roles in Ashes to Ashes, Upstairs, Downstairs and more recently Line of Duty, is to appear as the villainous Miss Delphox in Phil Ford’s episode for the series. She will be a tough alien businesswoman, described by the BBC as a “powerful out of this world character with a dark secret.”

Source: Hypable

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NTAs: Peter Capaldi wonderful on Doctor Who, says Jenna Coleman

Peter Capaldi is "going to be wonderful" on Doctor Who, his co-star Jenna Coleman has said.

Coleman told press at the 19th National Television Awards that there are "exciting times ahead" for the BBC sci-fi smash.

"[Peter is] great - of course, we all know he's going to be wonderful," said the actress, who plays companion Clara.

"It's been great to get up on our feet and get started - we just seem to have taken off like a rocket."

Doctor Who was named Best Drama at the NTAs, with Capaldi's predecessor Matt Smith also winning the award for Best Drama Performance.

"It's been such a fantastic year... this past year for Who," said Coleman, who accepted Smith's award on his behalf alongside Steven Moffat.

"This is wonderful - to be able to take this back to everybody that is grafting as speak, doing series 8."

Doctor Who will return to BBC One in late 2014.

Source: Digital Spy

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Benedict Cumberbatch "excited" for Peter Capaldi in Doctor Who

Sherlock's Benedict Cumberbatch has wished Peter Capaldi well as the new Time Lord begins filming Doctor Who.

Sherlock and Doctor Who are both produced by Steven Moffat, and Cumberbatch and Capaldi starred together in The Fifth Estate.

 

Cumberbatch has now told The Big Issue that he is looking forward to Capaldi's first full series as The Doctor.

"[It's] great news. I'm very excited to see him in Doctor Who," he said.

The actor added of Capaldi: "He is a class act, Peter, and a great actor."

Doctor Who will kick off its eighth series later this year, with Jenna Coleman to return as The Doctor's companion Clara.

Source: Digital Spy

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Martin Freeman almost missed out on Sherlock role due to bad audition

Martin Freeman has revealed that he almost missed out on the role of Dr Watson in Sherlock.

The 42-year-old star of The Hobbit revealed to Radio Times, that his first audition was not successful after being a victim of robbery earlier in the day.

Freeman said that he felt distracted in the audition and meeting with producers, after he was targeted by a thief and had his wallet stolen.

"I'll admit maybe I was a bit stressed," said the actor, who stars alongside his real-life partner Amanda Abbington in the third series of the hit BBC One drama - which returns next week.

"But a week later my agent rang and said, 'Listen, this Sherlock thing, they're sort of under the impression you weren't that into it.' And I said 'Oh... I am really interested. Please call them and let them know that I am interested.' I wasn't being blase about it at all. I just wasn't on my best day."

Freeman then added that it was a chemistry test with co-star Benedict Cumberbatch that ensured he got the role.

"I came in again, read with Benedict and it instantly worked, it seemed to me... I thought he was a fantastic actor and there was something about our rhythms, similarities and differences that meant that it just happened."

Sherlock returns on BBC One, January 1, 9pm.

Source: Digital Spy

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Alex Kingston on Matt Smith 'Doctor Who' exit: "You have to move on"

Alex Kingston has revealed that she knew of Matt Smith's intention to leave Doctor Who.

It was announced last Saturday (June 1) that Smith would be departing the BBC sci-fi drama at Christmas.

"I wasn't surprised [by the news], because he and I had a chat," Kingston explained during an appearance on BBC One's The One Show last night (June 5).

"At some stage, you have to move on and we did discuss when would be the right time in a young actor's career [to leave] if they were very associated with a particular role."

Kingston added that 30-year-old Smith was wise to depart the series before he became "typecast" as the Doctor.

"You have to move on, otherwise it becomes very difficult," she said.

Doctor Who will return to BBC One on Saturday, November 23 for its 50th anniversary special, with Matt Smith's final episode following later in the year.

Source: Digital Spy

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Russell Tovey confirms 'Doctor Who' audition: It would've terrified me

Russell Tovey has revealed that he auditioned for the lead role in Doctor Who.

 The Being Human actor was briefly tipped to replace David Tennant on the BBC sci-fi drama, after appearing in two episodes as the character Midshipman Frame.

The 31-year-old did screen-test for the part of the Eleventh Doctor, according to The Independent, but ultimately lost out to current Who lead Matt Smith.

"It would have terrified me," Tovey is quoted as saying. "I don't know what I would have done with all the attention."

The actor can currently be seen in ITV's new sitcom The Job Lot, which airs on Monday nights at 9.30pm.

Source: Digital Spy

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'Doctor Who' finale will change the show forever, says Steven Moffat

Doctor Who's Steven Moffat has revealed new details about series finale 'The Name of the Doctor'.

The upcoming episode will introduce a new menace to the BBC sci-fi series, known as The Whispermen.

"Having brought back two of the classics, the Ice Warriors and the Cybermen, this year we wanted a brand new monster to create chills in the finale," Moffat said.

"And the thought of stylish, whispering, almost faceless creatures was an idea that firstly scared me and that I thought would work well in an episode that looks forward and back."

The showrunner also promised that 'The Name of the Doctor' will "change the course of Who forever".

"It's full of surprises and questions that have never been answered in the history of Who, including the Doctor's greatest secret," Moffat claimed.

"We'll also find out what makes his new companion [Clara, played by Jenna-Louise Coleman] so impossible and there's a surprise that no-one has got right so far."

Coleman previously appeared on Doctor Who as space-faring Oswin and Victorian governess Clara, with the Doctor attempting to unravel the mystery of her multiple identities in recent episodes.

Hinting at what to expect from the finale, Coleman teased: "All I can say is that Clara hasn't just met the Doctor three times before."

Source: Digital Spy

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'Doctor Who' 50th: Daleks, Cybermen to team with Zygons?

Doctor Who writer Robert Banks Stewart has hinted that fans should expect a multitude of monsters in the 50th special. Stewart created shape-shifting aliens the Zygons, who have been confirmed to return in the anniversary episode.

"The Zygons are in there with all the others - particularly the Daleks and the Cybermen," Banks Stewart - who was promoting his new crime thriller novel The Hurricane's Tail - told Digital Spy.

"[But] nobody yet knows what the plot of the 50th will be - Steven Moffat and his team in Cardiff, they are quite rightly keeping it all secret."

Banks Stewart previously penned classic Who stories 'Terror of the Zygons' (1975) and 'The Seeds of Doom' (1976).

However, the writer explained that while he agreed to let the BBC use his creations, he feels the current Doctor Who episodes are "too adult".

"My own personal opinion is that the modern Doctor Who should be aimed more at children," he said.

"People very fondly remembered being scared by Doctor Who - now the plots seem to me a little too adult."

The Hurricane's Tail is available now, priced £9.99 in paperback and £5.99 as a Kindle ebook. For more information visit www.kaleidoscopepublishing.co.uk.

Source: Digitalspy.co.uk

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'Broadchurch' Chris Chibnall to write for 'Doctor Who' series eight?

Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall has confirmed that he has been approached to write a new Doctor Who episode.

Chibnall has previously written five episodes for the BBC sci-fi drama, with 2012's 'The Power of Three' his most recent.

"I hope to [return for series eight], and Steven [Moffat's] been good enough to ask," the writer told CultBox.

"So we'll just see if all the schedules figure out and stuff like that. But it's always lovely to be on the list."

Chibnall added that it remains "a privilege and an honour" to write for Doctor Who.

"It's... a delight to go in and write a Doctor Who [episode]," he said. "Steven is a great showrunner to work for, and you always do a Doctor Who if there's time, because you can tell stories you can't tell anywhere else."

A full eighth series of Doctor Who is expected to follow the show's 50th anniversary special - airing in November - and Christmas special - airing in late December.

Source: digitalspy.co.uk

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Doctor Who's 8th Doctor Paul McGann: 'Anniversary role could come at last minute'

Paul McGann has said that he will not rule out any involvement in Doctor Who's 50th anniversary special.

Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman will be joined by returning stars David Tennant and Billie Piper for the special, but a BBC source recently told Digital Spy that Christopher Eccleston has chosen not to take part.

McGann - who played the Eighth Doctor - offered his own opinions on the anniversary to ZBTV by suggesting that Eccleston's decision not to appear could mean changes to showrunner Steven Moffat's plans.

"I think Chris Eccleston is probably a big factor in it. I don't want to speak for him... he's probably reluctant to get involved in anything that's ongoing," McGann said.

He continued: "So that's something that they have to somehow get over and deal with. I'm guessing they've got time to do it. It's not quite the anniversary yet. The anniversary doesn't start until November.

"Whatever it is that they're planning and they are making, they've got time to do it. It's my feeling [and] this is just a personal thing, once they resolve Chris Eccleston's participation or non-participation either way, then they're free to [figure it out]... Being actors anyway, they'll call us on the Friday and say, 'You're starting on a Monday'."

McGann then added: "We're not going to know until the 11th hour. Half past 11... I can't count the times as an actor, when [you're] offered something and you start next week!"

Past Doctors Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy have both recently suggested that they are unlikely to return for the anniversary, with John Barrowman and Freema Agyeman making similar comments.

Doctor Who's 50th anniversary will include several nods to the show's heritage, including bringing back Jemma Redgrave as UNIT's Kate Stewart and a revival for villains the Zygons.

John Hurt has also been cast in an unspecified role in the celebratory episode, which is being filmed now in the UK.

The series continues on Saturday on BBC One in the UK and BBC America in the Mark Gatiss-penned episode 'Cold War'.

Watch Paul McGann discuss the 50th anniversary below:

Source: digitalspy.co.uk

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Jenna-Louise Coleman teases 'spine-tingling' Doctor Who Finale

Jenna-Louise Coleman has hinted that Doctor Who's series seven finale will be 'spine-tingling'.

The as-yet unnamed episode has been penned by Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat and is expected to lead into the 50th anniversary special.

Do Not Read on if you do not want any spoilers!

Coleman has now revealed that one of the major reveals in the season finale will be why the Victorian-era version of Clara's birthday is November 23, the same day that Doctor Who premiered in 1963.

"In the Christmas episode, I didn't know why that was the case. But again, we will find out by the end of this series," she told TV Guide.

The actress added of the finale: "It's really exciting - [it] is phenomenal. My spine was tingling when I read it.
"Again, I'm teasing you so badly here, but there's the beginning opening sequence, which [is] kind of building up into the 50th. It's just huge."

Coleman also opened up about the very first time she walked onto the new TARDIS set while filming last year's Christmas episode 'The Snowmen'.

"It was strange because obviously it was a brand-new TARDIS, so it was a set that nobody's ever used before or seen before at this point," the star recalled. "But this is where you're going to be for however many [of] the next couple of seasons or years, so it's like mine and Matt's new place."

She went on to say: "For him, he was running up and down all the stairs like a giddy kid who got his toy back. We didn't actually have the TARDIS for the first four months of me shooting because it was still being built.

"So it was pushed away in a dark corner and cordoned off so nobody could go in and look at it."
Coleman previously admitted that landing a role on Doctor Who was the first job that has impressed her family and has called the series a "mad" adventure.

Doctor Who continues this weekend with the Mark Gatiss-penned 'Cold War', which features the return of iconic monsters the Ice Warriors.

The series airs on BBC One in the UK and BBC America in the US.

Source: digitalspy.co.uk

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Freema Agyeman Amazed at USA Doctor Who Popularity!

Freema Agyeman has expressed pride at her place in Doctor Who history.

The actress played The Doctor's companion Martha Jones in Doctor Who and Torchwood, but is now working in the US on The Carrie Diaries.

 Speaking to Assignment X, Agyeman admitted that she has been amazed by how popular Doctor Who has become in the US.

 "I am so overwhelmed and so honoured and pleased," Agyeman said of the show's popularity. "I walk down the street here and there are Doctor Who fans coming up to me, and I can't believe it."

 She went on to say: "I can't believe how it has just exploded over here. When I was doing the show, we didn't get to come over to America and do any of the promotion.

 "The new lot [of Doctor Who actors] did, but my agent said, 'Don't worry, whatever happens with them, it kind of ripples outwards and the whole family reaps the benefit of that', so it's been great for my career."

 Agyeman recently ruled out playing Martha Jones again in Doctor Who's 50th anniversary, but said she might take part in promotional events.

 The BBC also recently announced that 9th Doctor actor Christopher Eccleston will also not appear in the anniversary episode.

 Doctor Who's anniversary celebration will include current Doctor Matt Smith, Jenna-Louise Coleman, past stars David Tennant and Billie Piper and classic villains the Zygons.

Source: Digital Spy

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ADWEEK: Matt Smith Interview

What’s the first information you consume in the morning?
The time from the alarm on my phone.

What do you read or watch or listen to at the breakfast table?
Always the paper. I read The Times (U.K.). I start at the back with the football, and then I work forward.

What occupies your mind in the car, on the subway, train, or bus?
Work, I suppose. Learning my lines. Or, if I’m going to work up in Cardiff [where Doctor Who films], sleeping—catching up on rest.

Are you a TV junkie, or on an airtime-restricted diet?
Usually on an airtime-restricted diet, I’m afraid, because if I’m working, I don’t really get to watch that much TV at all. But at the moment, I’m not working, so I’ve been watching a lot of it.

If you’re a couch potato, what do you watch, and how: TV, laptop, or tablet?
I always watch the sports news, a lot of Arrested Development—that’s my favorite show at the moment—a lot of Family Guy, and a lot of films. I just watched The Kids Are All Right and Inglourious Basterds for the second time. Sometimes if I’m in the car, I’ll use the iPad, but I try to watch on a TV as much as possible.

Before bed, do you bite into a novel, graze on Twitter, or fast until morning?
I read, or I go on the Internet—I tend to go through my emails or check the football. I’ve just read Stieg Larsson’s The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, and now I’m reading The Girl Who Played With Fire. They’re brilliant.

Which is more nutritious: print or Web?
Print, I think, because it has more class. There’s a vintage quality to it.

Give us the skinny on your favorite app.
There’s a really good app from a taxi company in the U.K. called Addison Lee that lets you order a taxi by just sending a text. That’s pretty groovy. There’s a Jamie Oliver cooking app that’s pretty groovy as well, and the Hipstamatic camera is probably one of my favorites.

What’s your biggest digital indulgence?
It depends, really. I’m not hugely technical with things, but I guess that the thing I use most is my iPhone, on a practical level.

With such a bloated media universe, how do you cut out the fat?
I think you just ignore the majority of it and take only what you need. Lest we forget, 10 years ago, we were still using telephone boxes. Sometimes when you lose your mobile phone, even though it’s frustrating, it’s sort of rewarding in many ways because though we do rely on them a lot, we are not reliant on them. The world continues without.

Source: ADWEEK

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