BBC America sent over their press release for the US premieres of the Doctor Who specials “The Next Doctor” and “Planet of the Dead.” Included is a nice surprise, short interviews with David Tennant and Michelle Ryan. Check out the info about the episodes and then the interviews. Be sure to check out both specials on BBC America and don’t forget that “Planet of the Dead” will also be viewable in HD on the new BBC America HD channel.
This summer, BBC AMERICA airs two U.S. premiere specials of television’s longest running science fiction series, Doctor Who. And yes, the first special, “The Next Doctor”, celebrates Christmas – in June! Set in Victorian London, the U.S. premiere holiday special first aired in the UK, December 2008. It is followed on July 26, by the first Doctor Who special in HD, “Planet of the Dead.”
Richard De Croce, SVP Programming, explained: “We know that Doctor Who has a loyal following of U.S. fans and want to show them the first HD special as soon as BBC America HD launches (July 20). To ensure our viewers don’t miss a moment of Tennant’s spectacular performance, and maintain continuity, we’re bringing them the premiere of last December’s Holiday special first – even though that means snow in June!”
DOCTOR WHO: THE NEXT DOCTOR
It’s Christmas Eve in 1851 and Cybermen stalk the snow of Victorian London. When the Doctor (David Tennant, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) arrives to investigate a spate of mysterious deaths, he’s surprised to meet another Doctor (David Morrissey, State of Play, Viva Blackpool), with his own sonic screw driver. How could this be possible? Could this Doctor be a future regeneration? But if so where are his memories? The two must combine forces to defeat the ruthless Miss Hartigan (Dervla Kirwan, Law & Order UK, Ballykissangel), who is the Cybermen’s human ally. But are two Doctors enough to stop the rise of the CyberKing?
Doctor Who: The Next Doctor premieres Saturday, June 27, 9:00 p.m. ET/PT
DOCTOR WHO: PLANET OF THE DEAD
In the first of four specials shot in HD, Doctor Who: “Planet of the Dead,” finds the Doctor trapped on a desert alien planet with a red double-decker bus but no TARDIS. He soon discovers the mysterious planet holds terrifying secrets hidden in the sand and is forced to team up with a mysterious, aristocratic thief Lady Christina (Michelle Ryan, Bionic Woman, Merlin) to get back to Earth. But time is running out, as the deadly Swarm gets closer.
Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead premieres Sunday, July 26, 8:00 p.m. ET/PT
The iconic sci-fi series originally aired on the BBC from ‘63 – ‘89 and ran on over 400 PBS stations in the ‘80s. This slick re-imagination of Doctor Who, created by Russell T Davies (Torchwood, Queer as Folk), puts a fresh spin on the adventures of the iconic Time Lord and his feisty companions – who travel across the universe to protect Earth from dangerous aliens and terrifying monsters.
Doctor Who has received two BAFTAs, including Best Drama Series in ‘06, three Hugo Awards for Best Dramatic Presentation: Short Form in ‘06, ’07 and’08 as well as the Saturn Award for Best International Series in ‘08. Doctor Who has two hit spin-off series – Torchwood, which gets its name from an anagram of Doctor Who, and one for children, The Sarah Jane Adventures.
PLANET OF THE DEAD – INTERVIEWS
DAVID TENNANT
Has filming the specials been different from filming the regular series?
“I think we get slightly more time to film the specials. I don’t know if that’s even true – we get four weeks to film an hour-long special whereas we get about two-and-a-half weeks to film a normal 45-minute episode. So we’ve got a little bit more time to play with but then they tend to be a bit more ambitious.”
“Certainly this one was, and you know the fact that we wanted to film in an actual desert and there aren’t a lot of them in south Wales.”
“So we had to find somewhere in the world that we could get to that, had an infrastructure that we could use to film in and that would have us, you know. Some of these deserts exist in some less than friendly regimes.”
Tell us about the desert vistas.
“We went to the desert and we got some incredible shots, I mean I think you’ll notice it on screen that we went a long way, and that the director and the camera particularly made it count. I think it’ll look like an alien planet in a way that nothing we’ve ever done before has ever quite managed, just because it is an extraordinary…it is an extraordinary sight, just miles of sand and the blue skies, the sun beating down, it is like being in another world really, so quite useful for us!”
What is this episode about?
“Well it’s about a bus that ends up on an alien planet, it’s about an international jewel thief who meets the Doctor and is quite intrigued by him. And it’s about two alien races, one of which is just doing what comes naturally and one of which is trying to get home. And all of those elements kind of combine into a story that is a bit bonkers, very fast moving, very exciting, and sort of on a scope. Bigger than we’ve managed before, which is very exciting. It’s very exciting having done the show for four years and still finding new stories to tell and ways of telling those stories, it’s great, and it’s what makes it such a great show to work on.”
MICHELLE RYAN
Tell us about your character Lady Christina de Souza.
“Christina is a mysterious, adventure-seeking aristocrat and she is very much a loner, she’s off in her own little world. And she’s very daring and exciting and smart and sassy. She’s a cool character.”
When did you first hear about the part, and why did it appeal to you?
“I first heard about the part just before Christmas and it appealed to me. I was reading lots of different scripts at the time and then I read this one and I was so engaged with the character, with her journey, and it was just a really interesting, dynamic script and few of those come along for young actresses, so I was kind of like, ‘yeah, I’d like to be a part of this’.”
What’s it like working with David Tennant?
“It’s amazing, he is genuinely one of the most professional, lovely, brilliant actors I’ve ever worked with. And he has such a good vibe, and he gives a great energy to everyone, he’s really cool. It’s quite family-like and fun – it’s been such a laugh to work on. The rest of the cast, the supporting cast as well, have been brilliant, Daniel, David, Vicky and Reggie and everyone, it’s been brilliant.”
How did you find working with the Tritovores?
“That was a bit of a shock but they’re very good, the two guys who played the Tritovores with their voices, and it was cool doing all the special effects stuff where you’ve got the big creatures coming at you. It’s been interesting, and I love doing all the harness and wire work – I’ve been hung upside down today, all day – and being dropped and bounced up and down, so it’s all fun!”
What’s it like on set working with Lee Evans?
“Filming with Lee Evans is great. He’s actually really quiet then he’ll start being really funny. He’s just naturally funny and lovely.”
Is there a romantic spark between your character Christina and The Doctor?
“There is a little bit of a romantic spark between The Doctor and Christina. I think Christina feels like she’s met her equal, and The Doctor feels like he’s met his match with Christina. Christina doesn’t come across many men that intrigue and inspire her the way The Doctor does. He manages to show her that actually she can use her skills to help other people, and that actually it’s more fun when you’re part of a team rather than being a loner. She goes on a journey with him and I think she’d like it to be more, and he’s quite closed off to that because he’s been hurt in the past – he’s off doing his thing and she’s like, ‘well, okay’ and off on her next adventure!”
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