BBC Worldwide Implies Doctor Who Season 15

A new press release from BBC Worldwide indicates they have plans to continue Doctor Who through at least season 15. The press release concerns expanding the Doctor Who brand in China through a new partnership with Shanghai Media Group Pictures. I've included the relevant portion below.

The deal not only covers Showrunners Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat’s Series 1- 10, but also incoming Showrunner Chris Chibnall’s yet-to-film Series 11, as well as a first look for Series 12-15.

DW Christmas Special to Screen in Theaters

Fathom Events has announced that they will be showing the Doctor Who Christmas special in theaters on December 28 and 29. Read the full press release below.

BBC Worldwide North America and Fathom Events announce the return of the longest running sci-fi television series, Doctor Who, to the big screen with a special theatrical event of the 2015 Doctor Who Christmas Special starring Peter Capaldi and featuring the return of Alex Kingston as River Song. The event will be in select U.S. movie theaters on December 28 and 29, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. local time both days and feature an exclusive interview with Alex Kingston, as well as a 15-minute behind-the-scenes “making of” featurette starring Peter Capaldi, Steven Moffat and more.

Tickets for the 2015 Doctor Who Christmas Special can be purchased online beginning Friday, November 13 by visiting www.FathomEvents.com or participating theater box offices. The event is expected to show in nearly 300 movie theaters through Fathom’s Digital Broadcast Network. For a complete list of theater locations visit the Fathom Events website (theaters and participants are subject to change).

It’s Christmas Day in the future and the TARDIS is parked on a snowy village street, covered in icicles, awaiting its next adventure. Time traveler River Song meets her husband’s new incarnation, in the form of Peter Capaldi, for the first time this Christmas. River Song made her first Doctor Who appearances in 2008 in Silence in the Library and Forest of the Dead and has appeared in 15 episodes to date.

“The return of River Song will be an incredible treat for Whovians heading to the theaters this December to celebrate the holiday season with their Doctor Who community,” said Soumya Sriraman, EVP Film, Home Entertainment and Licensing for BBC Worldwide North America.

“The Doctor Who fans always come out to movie theaters in full force and we expect nothing less for the first-ever big screen showing of the Christmas special. Experiencing this special event as part of a community is the best kind of viewing party!” said Fathom Events CEO John Rubey.

Doctor Who Coming to Minecraft

BBC Worldwide has announced that it will be releasing an official set of Minecraft skins for Xbox Live starting later this year.

BBC Worldwide are delighted to announce a deal with Microsoft Studios and Mojang which will bring Doctor Who - the world’s longest running science fiction drama – to ‘Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition’.

From September 2014, Minecraft players will have access to a range of Doctor Who assets which will allow them to change their avatar to resemble their favourite characters from the show. The first pack – priced at just $2.99/£1.99/€2.85/$2.95AUS – will include a character inspired by the Twelfth Doctor as well as five other Doctors, each of their on-screen companions and some of the Doctor’s most well known adversaries including his arch-nemeses, the Daleks.

Rikesh Desai, Digital Entertainment and Games Director at BBC Worldwide UK says “We’re constantly looking for new and innovative ways to bring Doctor Who content to our loyal fans. Working collaboratively with Microsoft, we’ve created an exciting new product which will allow Doctor Who fans to create their own brand new adventures in the heart of the iconic world of Minecraft.”

The deal will bring more packs as time goes on, introducing many of the most recognisable characters from the past 50 years of Doctor Who. Each skin pack will feature at least six Doctors and will be released regularly following the broadcast of the first episode.

Minecraft is one of the fastest selling Xbox game of all time with over 13 million sales to date. The deal to bring Doctor Who to Minecraft builds on BBC Worldwide’s successful partnership with Microsoft, which has seen Microsoft publish Forza racing games complete with Top Gear themed challenges and features.

Minecraft is a game about breaking and placing blocks. At first, people built structures to protect against nocturnal monsters, but as the game grew, players worked together to create wonderful, imaginative things.

It can also be about adventuring with friends or watching the sun rise over a blocky ocean. It’s pretty. Brave players battle terrible things in The Nether, which is more scary than pretty. You can also visit a land of mushrooms if it sounds more like your cup of tea.

World Tour Events to be Streamed Online

BBC Worldwide has announced that it will be streaming events from the Doctor Who World Tour online live. The following events will be streamed (in BST)

• Seoul, South Korea at 12:30pm on August 9
• Sydney, Australia at 10:20am on August 12
• Mexico City, Mexico at 6pm on August 17

The events in Rio de Janeiro and New York will not be live streamed. However, the Rio event will be available online and the NYC event will have clips posted to YouTube later.

DW World Tour: Sydney & Seoul Details

BBC Worldwide has released details on the events in Sydney and Seoul that are part of the Doctor Who World Tour.

Twelfth Doctor Peter Capaldi and his onscreen companion Jenna Coleman (Clara Oswald) will be live on stage at the State Theatre, Sydney for a one-time-only fan event on Tuesday 12 August.

Following on from last year's smash-hit 50th anniversary celebrations for Doctor Who, BBC Worldwide is thrilled to be bringing the stars of the show to Australia as part of a major global tour to launch the latest series and introduce fans to the new Doctor.

Join the stars for an exclusive Q&A hosted by long-time Doctor Who fan, Adam Spencer, and be the first in Australia to see Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor with a special screening of the feature-length premiere episode of the new series. Fans will also be given the opportunity to put some of their own questions to the stars.

Doctor Who: The World Tour will see Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman circumnavigate the globe, visiting seven cities across five continents in 12 days. The tour will kick off in Cardiff, Wales on August 7, before heading to London (UK), Seoul (South Korea), Sydney (Australia), New York (US), Mexico City (Mexico) and finishing in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) on August 19.

Says Helen Pendlebury, Head of Live Entertainment, BBC Worldwide Australia & New Zealand: "Australia has some of the most passionate Doctor Who fans in the world and we are delighted to offer them access to the Twelfth Doctor and his companion when they visit Sydney as part of Doctor Who: The World Tour."

Sign-up to www.doctorwho.tv/worldtour for pre-sale information.

Tickets will be available for general sale through Ticketmaster from 11.00am on Monday 21 July.

For further information please contact Phoebe Price, Communications Executive, BBC Worldwide ANZ 02 9744 4507| 0403 457 533 | phoebe.price@bbc.com

Seoul is the first city for the world tour with main actor and actress from Doctor Who on 9th of August.

BBC Worldwide today announced that the very first Doctor Who Global Publicity Tour will land in Seoul on Saturday, August the 9th. Korea is the first stop in the major global publicity tour to launch the new series of Doctor Who and introduce Peter Capaldi as the new Doctor.

The twelfth Doctor, Peter Capaldi and the Doctor’s on-screen companion, played by Jenna Coleman will land in Korea on 9 August and will spend the day with Korean fans and media.

The fan event will take place at IFC mall on the 9th and will start with a special fan screening of the new season's first episode. After the screening, Peter and Jenna will meet with Korean Doctor Who fans. The fan meeting will take place at 5.00pm at the atrium of the mall and is open to all.

To celebrate the Korea stop of Doctor Who: The World Tour, there will be competitions where fans can win tickets to the screenings that will take place in multiple cinemas. More information about these competitions will be released later this week. Fans can follow @doctorwho_kor on twitter for details.

Peter Capaldi has commented on his excitement ahead of the tour: “It’s fantastic that so many people across the world love Doctor Who. After 8 months solid filming deep in the world of monsters, Jenna and I are thrilled to be heading for the Planet of Fans”.

Doctor Who: The World Tour will begin in the UK on August 7th and finish in Brazil on August 19th. It will see Twelfth Doctor Peter Capaldi, on-screen companion Jenna Coleman, visit 7 cities across 5 continents in 12 days to take part in a series of media and fan engagements to publicise the show’s forthcoming Series 8 to a global audience. The tour marks the largest ever promotional undertaking in Doctor Who’s 50-year history and will kick off in Cardiff, Wales before taking in London (UK), Seoul (South Korea), Sydney (Australia), New York (US), Mexico City (Mexico) and Rio de Janeiro (Brazil).

Fans can get more details of the global itinerary at www.doctorwho.tv/worldtour as well as reports from the tour as it happens, which fans everywhere will be able to enjoy across social and digital platforms. In Korea, fans will be able to follow on activities on twitter on @doctorwho_kor.

For more information:
Korea
이지인 jiin.lee@pressync.net  / 02-514-3788 / 010-4488-2812
김희승 pr@presstnc.net  / 02-514-3788 / 010-4176-0661

Singapore
Jeanne Leong Jeanne.Leong@bbc.com/ +65 68495292

Titan to Produce New Doctor Who Comics

Last year, it was announced that IDW would no longer be producing Doctor Who comic books. The issue in their range came out in December of last year. BBC Worldwide has now announced that they'll be teaming up with Titan Comics to produce additional Doctor Who comic adventures.

In the universe of Doctor Who regenerations bring not only a new Doctor but often a fresh look and feel to the series and BBC Worldwide is bringing that same approach to Doctor Who comics as it signs a new deal with Titan Comics. The deal will open up the world of Doctor Who and provide fans with new stand alone adventures featuring the Tenth Doctor, Eleventh Doctor and after the new series launch, the Twelfth Doctor. Creative and production teams will be announced in the coming weeks and the first comic books will be released in 2014.

Sherlock: the Network Launches

BBC Worldwide has released a new iOS app called Sherlock: the Network. The app asks the user to joins Sherlock's homeless network and help solve cases. The app also features video messages from the cast of the show.

Sherlock Holmes has an urgent message for you. He needs you to help him solve his latest cases. Using your mobile phone, you must navigate the streets of London discovering clues, solving puzzles and piecing together the answers.

Starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock, Martin Freeman as John and Mark Gatiss as Mycroft, Sherlock: The Network is the official Sherlock app, containing ten new cases to solve with exclusive video, games, puzzles and a leaderboard for top players.

Sherlock: The Network is designed to extend the original programme beyond the television set directly into the hands of fans by inviting players to become one of the detective’s trusted Homeless Network across London. Players unscramble audio recordings, break into computers, decrypt codes and assemble images to gain clues. From missing persons and bomb threats to poison and murder – all the threads lead back to Sherlock.

Using a bespoke mapping and messaging interface, participants navigate virtual London by tube, taxi or on foot. They head to different locations across the capital to hear from witnesses, collect and store evidence, unlock clues, earn money and pick up valuable tools to help accelerate their mission – all with the aim of cracking each of the cases as quickly as possible to solve the final mystery.

Doctor Who: Legacy Trailer

Doctor Who: Legacy is now available to play on iOS and Android. You can watch the launch trailer below.

New Doctor Who Game

BBC Worldwide, in partnership with Tiny Rebel Games and Seed Studio, have announced a new game for iOS and Android called Doctor Who: Legacy. The game will be available starting on the 27th and is available free.

“The 11^th (or is it 12^th?) Doctor’s regeneration is approaching fast. With decades of epic adventures to draw from, Doctor Who: Legacy is a loving homage created by loyal Whovians, and is rich in the show’s creative legacy and fun. Combining easy to learn, hard to master mechanics with beloved characters and cunning villains, Doctor Who: Legacy  will be a treat for fans, casual players and even the most hard-core gamers alike” says Lee Cummings, Creative Director and Co-Founder of Tiny Rebel Games.

Build a team of your favourite companions and allies drawn from the extensive and illustrious history of the show; face the Doctor’s most notorious enemies; and relive the Doctor’s greatest triumphs. Doctor Who: Legacy will launch with episodes and characters from the most recent two seasons of the show. Season 5 will be released as further free to play content in the New Year as we go backwards through fifty beloved years of Doctor Who lore.

Visually striking, with meticulous attention to character detail, Doctor Who: Legacy is a feast for the eyes of any fan, and features a brand new score by acclaimed video game composer Chris Huelsbeck as well as the iconic theme song from the show as recorded by Murray Gold.

An Adventure in Space and Time DVD Details

BBC Worldwide have released info on the DVD of An Adventure in Space and Time, to be released on December 3rd.

This fantastic one-off drama travels back in time to 1963 to see how the beloved Doctor Who was first brought to the screen.

Actor William Hartnell felt trapped by a succession of hard-man roles. Wannabe producer Verity Lambert was frustrated by the TV industry’s glass ceiling. Both of them were to find unlikely hope and unexpected challenges in the form of a Saturday tea-time drama, time travel and monsters!

Allied with a team of brilliant people, they went on to create the longest-running science fiction series ever, now celebrating its 50th anniversary.An Adventure in Space and Time is written by Mark Gatiss, executive produced by Mark Gatiss, Steven Moffat and Caroline Skinner and directed by Terry McDonough.

David Bradley (Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Broadchurch) plays the lead role of William Hartnell while Jessica Raine (Call the Midwife, The Woman in Black) co-stars as the first ever producer of Doctor Who, Verity Lambert.

The stellar cast is joined by Sacha Dhawan (Waris Hussein), Lesley Manville (Heather Hartnell), and Brian Cox (Sydney Newman). A must see drama for all doctor who and drama fans alike.

Other disc contents:

• Leaflet featuring program images and an exclusive foreword by writer and executive producer Mark Gatiss
• William Hartnell: The Original
• The Making of An Adventure – narrated by Carole Ann Ford
• Reconstructions:

  • Scenes from An Unearthly Child and the pilot
  • 
Regenerations 

  • Farewell to Susan
  • 
Festive Greeting
  • The Title Sequences
  • Deleted Scenes
  • 
The Radiophonic Workshop

  • Verity’s Leaving Party

Front

Back

Screening and Guest List for 50th Anniversary Convention

BBC Worldwide have released additional info on a special screening of The Day of the Doctor to be held at the official convention, as well as over 40 additional guests.

With the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who now less than a month away, BBC Worldwide is delighted to announce that over 40 additional guests from the classic era of Doctor Who have been added to the bill for the Doctor Who 50th Celebration which takes place at ExCeL London over the anniversary weekend.

They will join current Doctor Matt Smith and former Doctors Tom Baker, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy at the ultimate anniversary event, which will welcome over 20,000 fans of the world’s favourite Time Lord to the venue in east London.

First on the list of new names is Peter Davison, who played the role of the fifth Doctor from 1981-1984. Joining Peter at the event over the anniversary weekend will be cast from throughout the 50 year history of the show including the Director of An Unearthly Child (the first episode of Doctor Who), Waris Hussein. William Russell and Carole Ann Ford, who starred as companions Ian and Susan alongside the first Doctor – William Hartnell – will be attending on Saturday 23 November.

Dick Mills (BBC Radiophonic Workshop), Mike Tucker and Mat Irvine (Classic Era Visual Effects) will also be on hand to facilitate some of the special features at the Celebration, which will be announced in more detail soon.

The Doctor Who 50th Celebration’s opening hours will also be extended on Saturday evening so visitors can enjoy a free 2D simulcast screening of The Day Of The Doctor together. Saturday attendees will be emailed shortly with details about how they can reserve a seat. Visitors should note that the screening will have limited availability and tickets will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

Additional line-up by day:

Friday 22nd November

Waris Hussein, Anneke Wills, Kate O’Mara, Richard Franklin, Matthew Waterhouse, Sarah Sutton, Terry Molloy, Gabriel Woolf, Barry Newbery, Michael Ferguson, Fiona Walker, Fiona Cumming and Ian Fraser.

Saturday 23rd November

Janet Fielding, Louise Jameson, Yee Jee Tso, Katy Manning, Carole Ann Ford, Geoffrey Beevers, Frazer Hines, William Russell, Nicola Bryant, Deborah Watling, Sophie Aldred, Daphne Ashbrook, David Collings, Terrance Dicks, and June Hudson.

Sunday 24th November

Peter Purves, Mark Strickson, Bonnie Langford, John Leeson, Lalla Ward, Wendy Padbury, Maureen O’Brien, Michael Kilgarriff, Julian Glover, Stephen Thorne, David Graham, Donald Tosh, Anthony Read, Andrew Morgan and Andrew Cartmel.

Info on 50th Anniversary Simulcast

BBC Worldwide has issued a press release detailing the plans to broadcast The Day of the Doctor worldwide simultaneously.

BBC Worldwide today announces that the special 50^th Anniversary episode of Doctor Who, the world’s longest running and most successful sci-fi series will, for the first time ever, be broadcast simultaneously to millions of viewers worldwide in a global simulcast on 23^rd November 2013. 

From Canada to Colombia, Brazil to Botswana and Myanmar to Mexico, fans in at least 75 countries spanning six continents will be able to enjoy the episode in 2D and 3D* at the same time as the UK broadcast, with more countries expected to be confirmed within the next month. The US, Australia and Canada have also signed up for the simulcast which will be shown in numerous countries across Europe, Latin America and Africa. In addition to Matt Smith and Jenna Coleman, the one-off special, entitled The Day of the Doctor stars former Time Lord David Tennant as well as Billie Piper, and John Hurt. 

On top of the worldwide TV broadcast, hundreds of cinemas in the UK and across the world also plan to screen the hotly anticipated special episode simultaneously in full 3D, giving fans the opportunity to make an event of the occasion and be part of a truly global celebration for the iconic British drama series.  Details about tickets for the anniversary screening will be announced in due course. 

Tim Davie, CEO of BBC Worldwide comments: “Few TV shows can still lay claim to being appointment viewing but Doctor Who takes this to another level. In its 50^th Anniversary year we wanted to create a truly international event for Doctor Who fans in as many countries as possible and the simultaneous broadcast and cinema screening of the special across so many countries will make for a fitting birthday tribute to our Time Lord.”

Steven Moffat, Showrunner for Doctor Who and Executive Producer of the 50^th Anniversary episode adds: “The Doctor has always been a time traveller - now he's travelling time zones. On the 23rd of November, it won't be the bad guys conquering the Earth - everywhere it will be The Day of the Doctor!”

The free-to-air 3D coverage will be available to those with access to a 3D TV set and to the BBC’s HD Red Button service.  This is part of the BBC’s two-year trial experimenting with 3D production and distribution, which has also included selected coverage from Wimbledon 2012 and the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The 50^th Anniversary weekend for Doctor Who in November will also see over 20,000 fans gather at London’s ExCel for the official celebration event which will feature appearances from cast old and new including Matt Smith and former Doctors Sylvester McCoy, Colin Baker and Tom Baker. Further information on the event can be found at www.doctorwho.tv

Since 1963 Doctor Who has been one of the best loved dramas and certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the most successful sci-fi series ever.  The show has received numerous awards across its 50 years and has seen huge commercial success with over 10 million DVDs and 8 million action figures sold globally.  It is also the number one BBC show on iTunes in the UK. BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the UK broadcaster distributes Doctor Who to over 200 territories across the world. 

* 3D television broadcast is subject to availability within global region.

The simulcast will be available in the following countries and channels

• Europe: Germany (Fox), Finland (YLE), Poland (BBC Entertainment), Russia (Karousel and NKS)
• North America: USA (BBC America), Canada (Space)
• Latin America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ecuador, Guatemala,  Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela (BBC Entertainment and BBC HD)
• Africa: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde Islands, Central African Republic, Chad,  Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, South Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania & Zanzibar, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe (BBC Entertainment)
• Australia (ABC)
• Asia: Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand (BBC Entertainment)

50th Anniversary Convention

BBC Worldwide has announced there will be a special Doctor Who 50th Anniversary convention on the weekend of the anniversary. Beginning on Friday, the event taking place at ExCeL in London will welcome over 15,000 fans.

Amanda Hill of BBC Worldwide said:

We cannot wait to welcome Doctor Who fans from around the world to London in November. It’s going to be a spectacular weekend! Generations of fans young and old have been captivated by the Doctor and we’ve seen the show go from strength to strength, enjoying something of a global march over the past few years attracting new followers from Turkey to Brazil to South Korea. 2013 is an opportunity for fans around the world to come together and celebrate the glorious past, present and future of Doctor Who.

New 50th Anniversary Site

A new site for the 50th Anniversary has been launched by BBC Worldwide. It contains info on Doctors and companions, lists of live events, games, and links to where to watch the show. As of this posting, it's still incomplete, with some info on monsters and Amazon Instant Video missing.

http://www.doctorwho.tv