The Doctor Who Information Network has reported that Series Four of Doctor Who will debut on the Canada Broadcasting Corporation on September 19th, 2008. The information comes from sources at the CBC.
Doctor Who will air on Friday evenings at 9pm. This was previously the time slot for Torchwood during the Autumn of 2007. The last two series of Doctor Who have aired on Monday nights at 8pm.
ABC have revealed the start date of Series Four in Australia.
According to a reply on their message board, the series will start on ABC1 on Sunday 29th June with Voyage of the Damned. The rest of the series follow, starting on the following Sunday.
According to columnist Rich Johnston at Comic Book Resources, Neil Gaiman has already been asked by forthcoming Doctor Who producer Steven Moffat to write an episode of the show in 2010.
Johnston also mentions a couple of rumors flying around that have not yet been comfirmed nor denied.
BBC Magazines have asked us to alert readers of Doctor Who Adventures of a faulty pin mechanism on the plastic badge cover-mounted on the current issue of the magazine.
While they don't believe the badges pose any serious hazard, they are placing adverts in the national press to alert readers to the problem with this badge, and suggest readers dispose of it, and to offer them an alternative free gift.
In a statement BBC Worldwide said it prides itself on the quality of its cover mounts and all cover mounts are required to pass the relevant EU safety regulation tests before going on sale. They added "The relevant safety and quality tests were carried out on this particular item, so we are obviously taking this matter extremely seriously and are investigating it further with our supplier."
So, the usual weekly update that we didn't really have last week, we do this week, for this week's episode, Silence in the Library. Also here are the links to the Doctor Who goodies from Saturday!
It's nearly time for just over 1 minute of non-stop thrills and pure excitement!
Final figures released by BARB give episode Six of Series Four, The Doctor's Daughter, an official rating of 7.33 million viewers. The programme was the 10th most watched for the week on British Television and the 4th most watched on BBC1. The only programmes to beat it in the ratings were the two big soaps, EastEnders and Coronation Street, and Saturdays Britain's Got Talent.
On multi-channel television, the Sunday BBC3 repeat was watched by 0.95 million viewers and was the 10th most watched programme on multichannel for the week.
Top Programmes w/e 11 May 2008
1 CORONATION STREET (MON 2031) - 10.73 - ITV1
2 CORONATION STREET (MON 1934) - 10.07 - ITV1
3 CORONATION STREET (FRI 2029) - 8.99 - ITV1
4 EASTENDERS (MON 1959) - 8.92 - BBC1
5 CORONATION STREET (FRI 1934) - 8.75 - ITV1
6 EASTENDERS (THU 1931) - 8.62 - BBC1
7 CORONATION STREET (WED 1930) - 8.57 - ITV1
8 BRITAIN'S GOT TALENT (SAT 2000) - 8.17 - ITV1
9 EASTENDERS (FRI 1959) - 8.16 - BBC1
10 DOCTOR WHO (SAT 1844) - 7.33 - BBC1
11 THE APPRENTICE (WED 2100) - 7.17 - BBC1
12 MIDSOMER MURDERS (SUN 2005) - 6.88 - ITV1
13 EMMERDALE (MON 1903) - 6.88 - ITV1
14 FLOOD (MON 2104) - 6.79 - ITV1
15 EMMERDALE (FRI 1902) - 6.53 - ITV1
16 EASTENDERS (TUE 1931) - 6.50 - BBC1
17 WAKING THE DEAD (TUE 2100) - 6.46 - BBC1
18 WAKING THE DEAD (MON 2100) - 6.42 - BBC1
19 THE BRITISH SOAP AWARDS 2008 (WED 1958) - 6.32 - ITV1
20 EMMERDALE (WED 1859) - 6.25 - ITV1
Top Multi Channel Programmes w/e 11 May 2008
1 GLADIATORS (Sun 1759) - 1,564,000 - Sky One
2 EASTENDERS (Tue 2202) - 1,449,000 - BBC3
3 FORD SUPER SUNDAY (Sun 1402) - 1,226,000 - Sky Sports
4 LIVE FORD FOOTBALL SPECIAL-MATCH (Mon 1530) - 1,177,000 - Sky Sports
5 BRITAIN'S GOT TALENT (Sun 2004) - 1,122,000 - ITV2
6 HEROES (Thu 2233) - 1,105,000 - BBC3
7 DONT FORGET THE LYRICS (Sun 1902) - 1,039,000 - Sky One
8 EASTENDERS (Thu 2203) - 1,001,000 - BBC3
9 BRITAIN'S GOT MORE TALENT AUDITIONS (Sun 2105) - 960,000 - ITV2
10 DOCTOR WHO (Sun 2001) - 946,000 - BBC3
11 LOST (Sun 2101) - 905,000 - Sky One
12 BRITAIN'S GOT MORE TALENT AUDITIONS (Sat 2159) - 868,000 - ITV2
13 EASTENDERS (Fri 2202) - 808,000 - BBC3
14 GAVIN AND STACEY (Mon 2132) - 786,000 - BBC3
15 60 SECONDS (Mon 2159) - 738,000 - BBC3
16 EASTENDERS (Mon 2202) - 736,000 - BBC3
17 HOME AND AWAY (Fri 1828) - 719,000 - Fiver
18 HOME AND AWAY (Wed 1829) - 707,000 - Fiver
19 DEC APPEAL (Thu 2200) - 678,000 - BBC3
20 60 SECONDS (Tue 2159) - 655,000 - BBC3
Source BARB
The Overnight Ratings are in for 4.7: The Unicorn and the Wasp.
Overnight Ratings show that the episode achieved 7.7m viewers with a 36.1% audience share.
Doctor Who was the second most-watched programme on Saturday, being beaten by Britain's Got Talent, which achieved 8.6m viewers.
The BBC Doctor Who Site has been updated for next Saturday's episode, Silence in the Library.
BBC Wales and BBC Drama has announced that Bafta and Hugo Award winning writer Steven Moffat will succeed Russell T Davies as Lead Writer and Executive Producer of the fifth series of Doctor Who, which will broadcast on BBC One in 2010.
Moffat has penned some of the series' most unforgettable and acclaimed episodes - including Blink with its terrifying Weeping Angels, for which he was awarded the Bafta Writer Award 2008 on Sunday 11th May. His previous work on Doctor Who includes The Girl in the Fireplace for Series Two, which earned him his second Hugo Award.
His first was for the Series One two-parter The Empty Child, which became famous for its terrifying refrain 'Are you my mummy?'
For the current series, Moffat has written Silence in the Library, a two parter starring Alex Kingston which transmits on 31st May and 7th June 2008 on BBC One.
Steven's career began with the landmark ITV children's drama Press Gang in 1989, for which he won his first Bafta. Coupling, the hugely popular and award winning sitcom he created and wrote for BBC Two, began in 2000 and ran for four seasons. Jekyll, his six part thriller starring James Nesbitt and Michelle Ryan, transmitted on BBC One last year.
Steven will continue as one of the directors on the board of Hartswood Films which produced Coupling and Jekyll, where he is also working on his new comedy Adam & Eve with wife Sue Vertue. He has just delivered the screenplay for Tintin, the first instalment of the trilogy of films featuring the iconic Belgian comic-strip hero, to Steven Spielberg who will direct it for DreamWorks. Thomas Sangster and Andy Serkis will star.
"My entire career has been a Secret Plan to get this job," said Steven Moffat. "I applied before but I got knocked back cos the BBC wanted someone else. Also I was seven. Anyway, I'm glad the BBC has finally seen the light, and it's a huge honour to be following Russell into the best - and the toughest - job in television. I say "toughest" cos Russell's at my window right now, pointing and laughing."
"It's been a delight and an honour working with Steven," said Russell T Davis, "I can't wait to see where his extraordinary imagination takes the Doctor. Best of all, I get to be a viewer again, watching on a Saturday night!"
"BBC Wales is very proud of Doctor Who's phenomenal success," added Menna Richards, Controller, BBC Wales. "Steven Moffat is an extraordinary talent and we are very much looking forward to him joining the Doctor Who team."
Jane Tranter, Controller BBC Fiction, added her praise. "Scripts and writers are at the heart of what BBC Drama is all about, and especially at the heart of Doctor Who. The past four series have been brilliantly helmed by the spectacularly talented Russell T Davies. As lead writer and executive producer, he has overseen the creative direction and detail of the 21st century relaunch of Doctor Who and we are delighted to have his continued presence on the specials over the next 18 months.
"But the challenge and excitement of the fifth series is now being handed to Steven Moffat. The Tardis couldn't be in safer hands. Steven's talents on both Doctor Who and beyond are well known. He is a writer of glittering brilliance, comedy and depth, with an extraordinary imagination and a unique voice. Steven has a wonderful mix of being a committed Doctor Who fan and a true artist, and his plans for the next series are totally thrilling."
The announcement follows the news that Piers Wenger will take over the role of Executive Producer from Julie Gardner on Series Five of Doctor Who.
"The challenge of taking Doctor Who to a new future is a huge and thrilling one and BBC Wales is blessed to have someone with Steven's extraordinary talent in charge," said Piers." His imagination and creativity have already given birth to some of the series' most unforgettable monsters though in this instance no one need fear; Time, space and the future of The Doctor are safe with him."
Wenger and Moffat are already working closely together on the planning of the series.
Series four has achieved some of the show's highest audience figures to date and forthcoming episodes feature a stellar line up of guests including Lesley Sharp, Lindsey Coulson, Alex Kingston, Colin Salmon and Michael Brandon. Freema Agyeman and Billie Piper - The Doctor's two former companions - have also
returned to assist The Doctor in series four.
Doctor Who will return in 2009 with four specials, and the full length fifth series is currently scheduled to be broadcast on BBC One in Spring 2010.
Tune into BBC One on Saturday 24th May, at the new time of 6:45pm, to see a special sneak preview of the rest of Doctor Who Series Four!
Once you have seen the trailer, don't forget to head straight back to the BBC Doctor Who Site to watch it all over again online - and to check out their special web-exclusive Eurovision gap week treats!
The Series Four run of Doctor Who will take a break for one week on Saturday, May 24 because of the Eurovision Song Contest.
The Radio Times listings for that day show I'd Do Anything from 6.50pm to 7.50pm, the National Lottery draws at 7.50pm and Eurovision following from 8pm until 11.15pm.
Episode eight, Silence In The Library, which is the first instalment of a Steven Moffat two-parter, will air on Saturday, May 31 instead, as confirmed by the BBC Press Office.
The same thing happened last year when Series Three episode seven, 42, was pushed back by a week because of the contest. The previous episode, The Lazarus Experiment, was followed by a 'Coming Soon . . . ' trailer to make up for the disappointment. Whether this will happen tomorrow at the conclusion of The Unicorn and the Wasp is currently unknown.
Catherine Tate will be appearing in London's West End this summer in the play Under The Blue Sky.
It is being staged at The Duke of York’s Theatre, in St Martin's Lane, from Tuesday, July 15 until Saturday, September 20.
The play, by David Eldridge, consists of three love stories that are connected subtly. Tate will be appearing with Francesca Annis, Lisa Dillon, Chris O'Dowd and Dominic Rowan.
Her previous theatre credits have included Some Girls at The Gielgud Theatre, with David Schwimmer, as well as The 24 Hour Plays at The Old Vic.
Steven Moffat has tonight been awarded the British Academy Television Award (BAFTA) for Best Writer, for the script of his 2007 Doctor Who episode "Blink". The Award was presented at the annual BAFTA Craft Awards ceremony, which honours those who work behind-the-scenes in the industry. Moffat won the award ahead of Jimmy McGovern (for "The Street"), Tony Marchant (for "The Mark of Cain") and Heidi Thomas (for "Cranford"). Full details can be found on the Bafta website.
One of the highest accolades available to a British scriptwriter, it is Moffat's second BAFTA Award in recent weeks, having also won the BAFTA Cymru (Welsh BAFTAs) scriptwriting category, again for "Blink".
Final figures released by BARB give episode five of Series Four, The Poison Sky, an official rating of 6.53 million viewers. The programme was the 18th most watched for the week on British Television.
On multi-channel television, the Sunday BBC3 repeat was watched by 1.09 million viewers and was the 4th most watched programme on multichannel for the week. The Saturday showing of Doctor Who Confidential got 0.61 million viewers and was the 25th most watched programme of the week.
Top Programmes w/e 27 April 2008
1 CORONATION STREET (MON 2029) - 10.40 - ITV1
2 CORONATION STREET (MON 1932) - 9.84 - ITV1
3 EASTENDERS (MON 2000) - 9.79 - BBC1
4 CORONATION STREET (WED 1932) - 9.50 - ITV1
5 EASTENDERS (TUE 1930) - 9.23 - BBC1
6 CORONATION STREET (FRI 1934) - 9.13 - ITV1
7 BRITAIN'S GOT TALENT (SAT 2007) - 9.12 - ITV1
8 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE (TUE 1928) - 8.98 - ITV1
9 EASTENDERS (FRI 2000) - 8.72 - BBC1
10 EASTENDERS (THU 1930) - 8.46 - BBC1
11 CORONATION STREET (SUN 1936) - 8.30 - ITV1
12 FLOOD (SUN 2008) - 7.69 - ITV1
13 THE APPRENTICE (WED 2100) - 7.28 - BBC1
14 EMMERDALE (WED 1900) - 7.20 - ITV1
15 EMMERDALE (TUE 1859) - 7.19 - ITV1
16 EMMERDALE (MON 1901) - 7.19 - ITV1
17 WAKING THE DEAD (MON 2101) - 7.06 - BBC1
18 DOCTOR WHO (SAT 1819) - 6.53 - BBC1
19 EMMERDALE (FRI 1903) - 6.52 - ITV1
20 WAKING THE DEAD (TUE 2100) - 6.39 - BBC1
Top Multi Channel Programmes w/e 27 April 2008
1 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE LIVE (Wed 1900) 2,486,000 - Sky Sports
2 UEFA CUP (2007- 2008) (Thu 1928) 1,224,000 - ITV4
3 HEROES (Thu 2229) 1,195,000 - BBC3
4 DOCTOR WHO (Sun 2001) 1,086,000 - BBC3
5 LIVE FORD FOOTBALL SPECIAL-MATCH (Sat 1200) 1,051,000 - Sky Sports
6 EASTENDERS (Tue 2201) 1,034,000 - BBC3
7 FAMILY GUY (Sun 2200) 986,000 - BBC3
8 EASTENDERS (Thu 2159) 951,000 - BBC3
9 HOME AND AWAY (Wed 1829) 944,000 - Fiver (was
10 FORD SUPER SUNDAY (Sun 1536) 942,000 - Sky Sports
11 KATIE AND PETER: THE NEXT CHAPTER (Thu 2059) 871,000 - ITV2
12 BRITAIN'S GOT MORE TALENT AUDITIONS (Sat 2209) 803,000 - ITV2
13 FORD SUPER SUNDAY (Sun 1259) 798,000 - Sky Sports
14 LOST (Sun 2103) 787,000 - Sky One
15 HOME AND AWAY (Mon 1829) 786,000 - Fiver (was
16 EASTENDERS (Mon 2201) 740,000 - BBC3
17 HOME AND AWAY (Thu 1828) 708,000 - Fiver (was
18 HOME AND AWAY (Fri 1829) 698,000 - Fiver (was
19 BRITAIN'S GOT MORE TALENT AUDITIONS (Sun 2107) 688,000 - ITV2
20 EASTENDERS (Fri 2201) 676,000 - BBC3
Source BARB
