Who 50th Trailer

There has been a raft of fan-made 'trailers' and other stuff appearing in recent weeks, but this short collection of snippets is probably most of what we'll get officially ahead of Saturday's Big Event. Yes, the BBC has put out a couple of other short videos, and they too are of value – probably more than the speculative montages by others – but my gut feeling is that it's best just to wait now.

As David Tennant says here: "Of course you're going to watch it!"

On top of what follows below, last night's One Show was very Doctor Who heavy, including sofa guests John Hurt and Janna Coleman (the 'Louise' was dropped from her professional name a few months ago, it seems). While that programme is unlikely ever to rise above its set-the-bar-as-low-as-possible style, there is enough in there to be worth spending the time on it if you are that keen. I have gone through only part, myself, and it seems to be enough for now, at least for me.

As always with the BBC, my apologies for the small viewer, imposed owing to the Beeb's insistence that I may not 'tweak' the default embed code. Switch to full-screen view for best effect, though...

All The Doctors

In this (edited, I notice) twenty-minute BBC programme An Evening With Steven Moffat, the man and his host, Boyd Hilton of Heat magazine, run through the Doctors from William Hartnell to Matt Smith. Some clips are included in the programme, though these don't always feature (or even include!) the Doctor of the moment. It's a bit weird.

Still, it's a nice little one-off, and otherwise works quite well, with a (non-participating) audience as well. I suggest switching to full screen viewing for this: I am not allowed to modify the player size (hence its smallness) under the BBC's rather extensive Terms and Conditions...

Doctor Who Proms 2013

As this embeddable video of excerpts from this year's concert has remained available for more than two months now ( I have been watching), it seems that it is safe to post it here.

It is actually very good indeed, especially after around forty minutes in, from which point some very good material fills the second half of this recording. You really won't want to miss this, especially if you remember the classic series.

As Matt Smith might say: "Trust me: I'm the Doctor!"

The Name of The Doctor

It took this young lady about three hours, with a lot of chalk, to construct The Doctor's name in Circular Gallifreyan, here speeded up into just five minutes or so.

There is no easy way to tell if it is accurate, because (a) no-one in the universe – apart from Steven Moffat – knows that name, and (b) the Time Lords' writing that we encounter within the programme is either Modern Gallifreyan or Old High Gallifreyan. There is a Circular Gallifreyan alphabet 'out there' in the world, though, so it could be spot-on for all anyone can tell...

Alternative Eighth Doctor

At first this looks like it might have been a take-on, but it seems to have been genuine after all – even though the evidence has (conveniently?) disappeared for reasons explained by the almost Hartnell-like actor who apparently did play him in a couple of never-aired episodes.

This is a BBC Worldwide video, so it wouldn't have been put out unless they knew it had really happened...

The Wackiest Link

The one and only, original 'Ann Droid', with the impossible-to-dislike John Barrowman on the Doctor Who special edition of The Weakest Link, sets him a challenge that he not only relishes, but that his 'opponents' (in the quiz, that is) join in with, in this short – just over a minute – clip...

New Who

The favourite at some at least of the bookies, Peter Capaldi, is the new Doctor – and here's the excerpt from the BBC programme that begins with the announcement, and includes a few interesting additional items such as his letter (when aged fifteen) and Matt Smith's almost shy message.

It's all in these six minutes...

Who's Who?

This 85-second clip (I'm being very specific about that number) features David Tennant and Matt Smith talking being The Doctor. This has been around for a few weeks, but an instinct prompted me to post it today, for some reason.

It's actually quite intriguing, especially the last (slightly mysterious) bit...

Prince Dalek

Prince Charles actually did quite a good Dalek voice (and there are techniques involved, trust me) during a visit to the 'home of Doctor Who' as the BBC is billing this by the Prince and the Duchess of Cornwall earlier this week.

Not only were Matt Smith, Jenna-Louise Coleman and a number of the production staff present for this meticulously-timed event (as the lady says), but even Strax had his own way of expressing his appreciation of the royal visitors. No-one does it quite like Strax...

Running the Gauntlets

...or, in Strax's case, forgetting the gauntlets. It really is not a good idea to handle the Memory Worm without them, as this one minute (or so) clip amply demonstrates – not just once, but twice...

The Eleventh Doctor Says Goodbye

From Detroit, where his uncannily Ecclestone-like look is actually for a film acting part he has secured, but "fantastic" for all that (even the ears!) is this essentially non-verbal goodbye and thank-you to just about everyone. It's under two minutes long, too...

Ask Strax

The most entertaining Sontaran ever here answers questions from 'miniature humans' (children) in his own distinctive way.

It's really rather good, and actor Dan Starkey's knowledge of earlier Sontaran characters from years ago is impressive too.

On a technical note, the editor(s) of this video put up the wrong photo for Commander Skorr: it's actually General (no less) Staal...

The Amazing Martha Jones

Here's her top-notch theme, almost certainly the best piece of music Murray Gold has ever composed, along with some scenes from the series.

This video is a very good reminder of just how strong and independent Martha always was, probably the best overall of all the New Who companions, with her power and strength characterised in the theme's softness and subtlety...

First Ever TARDIS Flight

At least, it's the first one in the TV series, though implicitly the old Type 40 had been around a fair bit before we first encountered her in November 1963. I recall this scene from its first airing, which I watched at that time, now almost half a century ago.

This is the crucial excerpt from the first ever Doctor Who story, An Unearthly Child...

Doctor Who Mini-Adventure

This mini-ep, called Good As Gold, was written by some schoolchildren; and although it takes a few liberties with Who canon (such as how to deal with Weeping Angels) it isn't at all bad...

Five Silly Things About Doctor Who

Okay, some of these aren't always the case, especially the CGI which these days tends to be more consistently good whereas those effects had been somewhat variable over recent years.

Anyway, it is a well-observed commentary on Doctor Who, and looks quite authentic too...

Doctor Who – Doctor Which?

This quite short clip shows the meeting of the third and second Doctors at a time of crisis (as usual, one might say!) in the TARDIS control room.

It also features Jo Grant and Sergeant Benton of UNIT, both of whom were needed for exposition in this scene by (mostly) the two Doctors.

Anyway, it is a rare piece of Patrick Troughton at decent quality and in colour, and is quite enjoyable despite the (presumably unavoidable) sudden cut-off at the end...

This Is Gallifrey

This is Gallifrey is one of Murray Gold's best Who tracks. This is what might be termed the 'standard' version, as there's another that is a notch or two more dramatic. This, though, is majestic and uplifting, and the still image is all it needs (although a tracking shot around this scene would have been even better). The mid-section, featuring a Cor Anglais (English Horn – surely the finest of all the woodwind) has a particularly high 'tingle factor'.

There is also a third version of this, by the way, with the slightly different title This Was Gallifrey. Perhaps I'll be able to feature either or both of those in due course.

I did have this on the 'blog a while back, but it got swept up in the bulk deletes when I was clearing image space, so now it's back as it does deserve to be showcased here, I feel, and seems to be appropriate to post just as the sun is going down, here in Kent...

Warning to Loud Music Drivers

As the Sarah-Jane Adventures demonstrate very clearly, it is nowadays unwise to play loud music in your car...

Songtaran Carols

Who is singing? No, it's not Who, it's Strax the Sontaran, with his own (brief) offbeat take on some seasonal Earth carols...