Posts Tagged ‘A Christmas Carol’

A clip of Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol was shown on BBC Breakfast this morning as part of a festive TV preview. It features new scenes with Amy and Rory on a crashing space liner. Unfortunately, you can’t actually hear anything because of the TV critic (Alison Graham) talking over it. Hopefully, there will be a clean version soon.

Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill are all present in this new behind the scenes video from BBC America. In it, they tell us about Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol and Gillan promises that Michael Gambon will make us cry. Aside from that, there’s nothing really new here, but you may want to check it out.

Contains spoilers from A Christmas Carol.

With the TV Listings magazines for the festive season out now, various bits of info are starting to leak out on this year’s Doctor Who Christmas special.

One of the most notable comes from the TV Times who reveals that the Doctor gets engaged!

So who is this bride to be? It doesn’t say, but Matt Smith is quoted as saying: “I read it and went, ‘YES!’ It’s very exciting and someone you all know…”

Another quote from a different mag has Smith saying, “It’s in [the Doctor's] past.”

One of The Brilliant Book hints did say the Doctor gets married twice, so this shouldn’t come as too much of surprise. And it’s hardly the first time the Doctor has said he’s been married.

Katherine Jenkins appeared on BBC Breakfast this morning and after chatting about her latest single, talk inevitably moved on to the Doctor Who Christmas special, A Christmas Carol. You can see the segment in the video below.

Note: You may want to skip to around 3 minutes 40 to get to main Doctor Who bit. There’s no new clips, unfortunately, with just the Children in Need trailer shown again.

The BBC has released a bunch of new promo pics for Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol.

As with all the images released so far, they predominantly feature Kazran (Michael Gambon and Laurence Belcher), Abigail Pettigrew (Katherine Jenkins), and The Doctor (Matt Smith). Rory and Amy are still nowhere to be seen. If it wasn’t for the Children in Need trailer, you would think they are not in it.

21 days to go!

The BBC have released interviews with Matt Smith and Katherine Jenkins to coincide with the upcoming festive special, A Christmas Carol. Check them both out below.

Matt Smith

After his critically-acclaimed and hugely successful debut performance as the Doctor earlier this year, Matt Smith hasn’t had time to rest on his laurels because in July he found himself surrounded by snow, shooting the Christmas Special. Here, Matt explains what festive fun lies in store for Doctor Who fans:

“I’ve always wanted to be part of the Christmas Doctor Who experience,” reveals Matt, “and I think this is certainly one of the most Christmassy and inventive Doctor Who stories so far. Steven just keeps getting even more imaginative and the great thing about this episode is that when Doctor Who and Christmas are put together you combine the spirit of both those things; it’s a fun old yarn and the Doctor simply loves Christmas.”

At the end of last series Rory Williams officially became Mr Pond and joined his new wife Amy and the Doctor for more time-travelling adventures in the TARDIS. So where does this episode pick up?

“Well it starts off with Amy and Rory on honeymoon, but the spaceship they are travelling on gets into trouble and needs to make an emergency landing on a nearby planet,” reveals Matt. “However, they are blocked from entering the planet’s atmosphere and with the ship nearing implosion, the Doctor has to try and work out what’s going on and how to save them.

“Steven’s fantastical and magical mind has been working overtime and he’s been extremely clever with this story,” continues Matt. “It feels very Dickensian, set in a mad futuristic world and it evolves into something even more magical than your classic monster Doctor Who episode.”

However, Matt’s quick to point out the episode does still feature a creature that is bound to get both children and adults alike cowering behind the sofa. “The episode features a wonderful shark which I was very excited about,” reveals Matt. “I’ve always wanted to explore the aquatic; viewers can expect Jaws with a twist!”

Joining the cast regulars in the episode is acclaimed actor of stage and screen Michael Gambon, and superstar opera singer Katherine Jenkins, making her acting debut.

“It was a real privilege to work with Michael,” explains Matt. “I had a great time with him and he was really naughty! He’s so crafty and when I asked him about working with iconic actors such as Olivier and Bates he said the one thing they all had in common was they were naughty – and he’s exactly the same. He was very mischievous, constantly telling jokes and getting into the spirit of play.

“With Katherine I was astounded by her professionalism; considering it was her first acting experience I thought she handled it with real craft and diligence,” continues Matt. “It’s exactly the type of casting we want; someone fresh, exciting and new.”

But can Matt reveal anything about who they play and how they fit into the overall story…?

“Well,” chuckles Matt, “I can reveal that Michael plays a Scrooge-like miser but there’s a time-travelling twist to it all. To play an old grump there is no one better than Gambon. However, Michael also really makes you feel for this man and he can somehow turn himself into a little boy at times; he’s a very impressive actor.

“Katherine looks like a princess,” continues Matt, “and boy can she sing; the way she controls her voice and the grace with which she sings is quite incredible.”

But while the Doctor is off on a Christmassy adventure, what will Christmas day hold for Matt Smith? “I’ll be watching Doctor Who with my family of course!” laughs Matt. “I imagine we’ll have a big lunch first and then we’ll sit down to watch the episode; the Doctor even gets to come down the chimney!”

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The BBC has released a couple of new pictures alongside a more detailed synopsis for Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol (minor spoilers follow).

It’s the deepest part of winter, the exact midpoint, Christmas Eve – half way out of the dark. Amy and Rory are trapped on a stricken space liner that’s plummeting through banks of thick icy fog to the surface of the planet below. Only one man has the power to save them; only one man is in possession of a machine that can clear the fog and let them land safely. That man is Kazran Sardick, a rich but lonely old miser who rules Sardicktown with a sky-mast of iron.

The Doctor’s only chance of rescuing the ship’s 4,000 passengers is to save Kazran’s soul and show him that life is worth living. For this he needs to go back, way back, to when Kazran was a boy with a life full of promise. But can the Doctor put a song in Kazran’s heart and love in his life, in time for Christmas? Can he bring him out of the dark?

Looking at the promo picture below, we’d say yes he can! Also notice Abigail (Katherine Jenkins) appears to be singing into a sonic screwdriver. And young Kazran (Laurence Belcher) is present with older Kazran (Michael Gambon). Timey wimey!

Last year we had David Tennant’s Doctor riding the TARDIS like a sleigh, this year things are getting a bit stranger.

The Radio Times cover for the issue dated 11th -17th December features Matt Smith (with santa hat, naturally), Michael Gambon and Katherine Jenkins in a carriage being pulled in the air by a shark, as you can see pictured (click to enlarge).

We’re guessing this is just for the cover shoot and it doesn’t actually happen in A Christmas Carol, but you never know with Doctor Who!

The issue features new interviews with Katherine Jenkins and Matt Smith who chat about the special.

Get your copy this Thursday.

It’s time to book your place on the sofa (or should that be behind it) on Christmas Day. The BBC has finally confirmed the UK time for the 2010 Christmas special, A Christmas Carol.

The festive special begins at 6pm Christmas Day on BBC1 and will run for an 60 minutes.

The episode will be followed by special Doctor Who Confidential on BBC3.

Overseas dates and times -

US – Christmas Day on BBC America at 9pm ET
Canada – Boxing Day on SPACE at 9pm ET
Australia – Boxing Day on ABC 1 at 7.30pm.

Thanks to Marcus at Doctor Who News for confirming.

At the time of writing it is now just 25 days until Christmas, but more importantly it means a new Doctor Who episode is getting tantalisingly close. Here’s what we know about the Christmas special so far.

Updated with new links

Official

• Story is a “clever twist” on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol
• Title confirmed as A Christmas Carol
• BBC Synopsis
• First Trailer from Children in Need
• First official promo picture released
• It will be 60 minutes long
• Behind the scenes picture
• Clips from the BBC Autumn showreel
• Airing on BBC America on Christmas Day

Casting

• Michael Gambon and Katherine Jenkins
• Laurence Belcher, Leo Bill, Pooky Quesnel, Micah Balfour and Bailey Pepper and Danny Horn

Rumours

• Michael Gambon will play Kazran – a Scrooge-like character (confirmed)
• Set on an alien planet that looks Victorian with a flying shark as a monster (confirmed)
• Katherine Jenkins will sing (confirmed)
• Excellent but fake trailer

Hints & Teasers

• Trailer analysis
• Teasers from Gillan
• Smith and Gillan to sing on Doctor Who Confidential
• Smith: Steven’s written a belter
• Matt Smith and Karen Gillan interview
• Gillan: We will see Amy and Rory’s honeymoon and a really scary monster
• Moffat: “It has scares, heartbreak and genuine tragedy“

If you missed it last week, check out the Series 6 round-up here.