Lots of "Who" on the Beeb coming up. Hopefully, we'll get to see some of this in the states.
From the press release:
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 minutes). 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."
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.
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