The Name of the Doctor: Past References

Did you spot all the past Doctor references in The Name of the Doctor?

The Aztecs

The First Doctor clips were a mix of archive footage from The Aztecs and new footage.

The Five Doctors

The Second and third Doctor clips were originally from The Five Doctors.

The Invasion of Time

The Fourth Doctor clip was from The Invasion of Time.

Arc of Infinity and Dragonfire

The Fifth Doctor clip was from The Arc of Infinity, the Sixth Doctor clip was new footage and the Seventh Doctor clip was from Dragonfire.

The Name of the Doctor

The Eighth Doctor appeared briefly just before the Second Doctor clip (blink and you'll miss it!). The Tenth Doctor also appeared briefly.

From left to right: The First Doctor, Sixth Doctor, Fifth Doctor, Ninth Doctor, Fourth Doctor and the Mystery Doctor.

Taken from The Doctor Who Site.

Doctor Who: A New Series and More

We're delighted to confirm a new series of Doctor Who has been commissioned and the show's lead writer and executive producer, Steven Moffat, Has revealed he's already plotting a brand new run of adventures for the Doctor.

But way before that hits our screens we have a huge amount to look forward to. Your calendars should already have a big red circle around 23rd November because that's when the TARDIS returns in the frankly Earth-shattering adventure that celebrates half a century of Doctor Who. This 3D special stars Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman with David Tennant and John Hurt, seen briefly at the end of The Name of the Doctor. Billie Piper returns alongside Jemma Redgrave, Joanna Page… and the Zygons!

Later this year the BBC also premieres An Adventure in Space and Time, the brilliant drama written by Mark Gatiss that looks at the genesis of Doctor Who. So we're in for a memorable insight into the show's origins.

And given that this year's Christmas Special will be rounding off such a spectacular year we're sure it will kick off the Doctor's next half century in style! But that's not all. Big plans are being put in place that will well and truly celebrate the Doctor's half-centenary. Make sure you check back for some exciting announcements!


Taken from the official website.

Steven Moffat thanks the fans

Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat has thanked the programme's fans for keeping the secrets of the series finale.

Following the early release of the US Blu-ray disks containing the series climax, the BBC asked recipients to keep the secrets of the show until after the broadcast of the episode earlier this evening, promising a special video clip would be released as a reward.

Moffat told The Guardian:

Well, that was all a bit Keystone Cops, wasn't it? Our biggest surprise, our most secret episode, a revelation about the Doctor changes everything...

… and we'd have gotten away with it too, if we hadn't accidentally sent Blu-ray copies of Name Of The Doctor to 210 Doctor Who fans in America. Security-wise, that's not GOOD, is it? I mean, it's not top-notch; it's hard to defend as professional-level, hard-line secrecy.

My favourite fact is that they're Blu-rays. Listen, we do don't just leak any old rubbish, we leak in high-def - 1080p or nothing, that's us. Every last pixel in beautifully rendered detail. It's like getting caught extra naked.

But, here's the thing. Never mind us blundering fools, check out the fans. Two hundred and ten of them, with the top-secret episode within their grasp - and because we asked nicely, they didn't breathe a word. Not one. Even Doctor Who websites have been closing their comment sections, just incase anyone blurts. I'm gobsmacked. I'm impressed. Actually, I'm humbled. And we are all very grateful.

Now you might be thinking, what does all this matter? It's a plot development in the mad old fantasy world of Doctor Who, why is that important? Well, of course, it's not important, and in the scheme of things, it doesn't matter at all. Just as it doesn't matter when you're telling a joke, and some idiot shouts out the punchline before you finish. It's bad manners.

Well, no bad manners here! Two hundred and ten Doctor Who fans kept the secret, and many, many more fans helped. I wish I could send you all flowers, but I don't know where you live (and, given our record, you really shouldn't be sharing private information with us). So instead, there is a little video treat.

Ten plus 11 gives you...

Taken from Doctor Who News.

Merida Redesign Was One-Time Deal Says Disney

Trying to put the Merida redesign fiasco behind them, Disney told NBCNews.com that the redesign of the Brave heroine was only a one-time effort to commemorate her coronation as a Princess. The studio also noted that the design was never posted on the company's official websites.

"The artwork used on Merida's official social media sites has always been the imagery from the movie - there have been no changes," Disney said in a statement to NBCNews.com. "We routinely use different art styles with our characters and this rendition of Merida in her party dress was a special one-time effort to commemorate her coronation. Merida exemplifies what it means to be a Disney Princess through being brave, passionate and confident and she remains the same strong and determined Merida from the movie whose inner qualities have inspired mums and daughters around the world."

The new slimmer, glamorous look for the character was revealed last weekend at Disney World as the company officially added Merida as the eleventh official Princess in the company's line. The new design, which featured the heroine in a glitzy gown, sans her trademark bow and arrow was criticised on social media and a Change.org petition was started by Carolyn Danckaert, co-founder of the website A Mighty Girl. The petition and letter were addressed to Disney chairman Robert Iger and generated over 210, 000 signatures.

The film's original Oscar-winning writer and director Brenda Chapman also criticised Disney publicly for this marketing misstep.

"They've gone through the whole Disney Princess line and I think they're just doing standard procedure which in this case is was I think a bad choice because Merida is not standard procedure," Chapman explained on CNN. "She's not one of the regular Princesses and - and she was created to be not one of those Princesses."

You can read more about Chapman's response to the redesign here.


Taken from Animation Magazine.

Doctor Who: The Name of The Doctor

Clara is summoned to an impossible conference call, alerting her that the deadly Whisper Men are closing in on Vastra, Jenny and Strx. Someone is kidnapping the Doctor's friends, leading him towards the one place in all of time and space that he should never go. It's a deadly trap that threatens to unravel his past, present and future…


Doctor Who, tonight at 7:00pm on BBC One

Ending on a High Note

So that's it… my first year of uni is almost officially over! Technically the teaching and lessons are done, but I just have one animation that I'm still working on.

Our last lesson as a class was on Wednesday and we had to show a showreel of the work we had completed this semester for animation essentials. Here's my showreel…

I was really shocked by the class's reaction. Everyone really seemed to enjoy it, they wanted me to replay it over and over again! Even my lecturer said she could tell that I had improved this semester. I think I need to believe in myself more, because I know I've improved on my drawing skills and I'm kind of ok with timing (others would differ). So when I go back in September I'm gonna try and be more confident in what I do.

I didn't have such a brilliant start at uni the first time round, so I'm glad I got the chance to start again. I've made some fantastic and hopefully lifelong friends this year, I've enjoyed uni life and sometimes even the work. Its gonna be weird not seeing everyone for a while, but nice not having work to stress over!

Fans Asked Not To Spoil Series Finale

Some fans in America have been enjoying the Doctor Who series finale early due to a mistake in the American distribution of the Series 7 Blu-rays and DVDs.

The Name of the Doctor, which concludes the current series of the show, is due for transmission this Saturday in the UK, North America and Australia. The episode is included in the Series Seven - Part Two Blu-ray, which was due to be released on 28th May.

However a distribution error has meant some copies of the discs have already been sent out in North America giving some fans a sneak preview of the final episode.

Doctor Who's brand manager, Edward Russell, has appealed to fans who have seen the episode to keep the show's secrets until it is broadcast at the weekend. On twitter he said:

Production error in the US means DW bluray shipped early. Let's hope no one spoils it for those who want to enjoy it together on Saturday. This is like a Doctor Who version of the Dunkirk spirit! I know some folk want to boast, but it's so much better if we all watch together.

The BBC have now also added on Twitter: "Steven Moffat has promised if fans help keep the finale's secrets, we'll release a special video featuring Matt and David right after the ep!". This was also detailed via their Facebook page:

We understand that a small number of US fans have received in error their DVD edition of Series 7 Part 2 early. We respectfully ask those fans not to divulge information or post content publicly so that fellow fans who have yet to see the episodes do not have their viewing pleasure ruined.

If everyone keeps the secrets safe until next Saturday we will release a special new clip featuring material of the Tenth and Eleventh Doctor!

Taken from Doctor Who News.