Doctor Who & Class at NYCC

The BBC has announced that the casts of Doctor Who and Class will have their own panels at New York Comic Con this October. The Doctor Who panel will consist of Peter Capaldi, Pearl Mackie, Steven Moffat, and Brian Minchin. The Class panel will contain Greg Austin, Fady Elsayed, Sophie Hopkins, Vivian Oparah, Patrick Nesss, and Brian Minchin. Given the fact that filming on Class is supposed to conclude about 2-3 weeks before the convention, we might get a trailer or release date during the panel. I'd be surprised if we got anything for Doctor Who, though they will have been filming for over three months at the point.

UPDATE: Matt Smith, Jenna Coleman, and Karen Gillan are already scheduled to attend (though they'll likely be in a separate panel). The panels will take place on Friday in Madison Square Garden.

UPDATE 2: Apparently we will be getting a "sneak peek" of upcoming Doctor Who episodes, but that could mean anything

Doctor Who Crew Confirmed for SDCC

The BBC has confirmed that Peter Capaldi will be making his Comic Con debut as the Doctor this July in San Diego. Accompanying him will be Jenna Coleman, Michell Gomez, Brian Minchin, and Steven Moffat. The event runs July 9-12 (Thursday-Sunday), though the exact date of the Doctor Who panel has not been confirmed yet. Peter commented,

Tales of San Diego Comic-Con are told in awe on every set around the known fantasy/sci-fi production world. It's become a fabled kingdom. One I am thrilled to find myself heading for. And to appear in the legendary Hall H is a further twist to the cosplay and comic madness I may never recover from.

UPDATE: I misread the announcement. The panel will take place on Thursday in Hall H.

Brian Minchin on Series 8 and Christmas

New executive producer Brian Minchin has spoken briefly about Series 8 and this year's Christmas Special in the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine.

My main job now is staring in awe at the 50th Anniversary Special and wondering ‘How the hell do we follow on from that?! Then, when I stop gawping and wondering, ‘How did they do that bit, and that one, and that bit!’ I will start work on the Christmas episode, written by Steven Moffat himself.

When asked what we can look forward to, he responded

A whole new series! But we certainly won’t be releasing the details of that series right now in May 2013. Oh dear, that sounds mean! Well, I can tell you that I have just spent a very happy few days meeting some scarily clever writers, and we have an incredible set of stories to work on. More adventures ahead!

Brian Minchin Announced as New Executive Producer

Earlier this year, it was announced that Caroline Skinner had left her role as executive producer, which she had held since the 2011 Christmas special. The BBC has now announced that Brian Minchin will be filling her role alongside Steven Moffat.

Press release follows

BBC Cymru Wales has announced that Brian Minchin is to be the new Executive Producer of Doctor Who, alongside showrunner Steven Moffat.

Brian Minchin is an Executive Producer in BBC Wales drama, currently working on The Game, a new Cold War spy thriller from Toby Whithouse for BBC One, and Wizards Vs Aliens, Russell T Davies’ hit show for CBBC. He has also worked as BBC Executive Producer on Dirk Gently and Being Human.

Brian produced the RTS award-winning and BAFTA nominated series The Sarah Jane Adventures, as well as the UK sections of Torchwood: Miracle Day and was Assistant Producer on Torchwood: Children of Earth.

Brian, who grew up in Aberystwyth, joined the department in Cardiff in 2005 as a Script Editor working on BBC One Wales drama Belonging, before moving on to network dramas Doctor Who and Torchwood in the same role.

Brian says: “I'm thrilled and excited to be joining Steven Moffat on a show that has meant so much to me over the years. I've watched in awe as Steven has taken Doctor Who to wild and imaginative places and I can't wait to get started on many more adventures with the Doctor.”

Faith Penhale, Head of Drama Wales, says: “I've no doubt Doctor Who will enjoy a very exciting time with Brian at the helm working alongside Steven. Since joining BBC Wales in 2005, he’s proved he has a fantastic eye for story and a sharp awareness of what makes a drama like Doctor Who unmissable."

Steven Moffat, Lead Writer and Executive Producer, adds: "When I first took over Doctor Who, Brian was there as script editor, and in the most difficult time of a new Doctor and a new era, was completely brilliant. We lost him to producing The Sarah Jane Adventures at the end of our first run. Rising talent keeps rising, is how I comforted myself back then - but now I am beyond happy that Brian has risen all the way back to Doctor Who, in his new role of Executive Producer. I look forward to getting hopelessly lost in space and time with him."