Sci-Fi Storm

The BBC released a new picture from the upcoming Doctor Who Christmas special, “The Snowmen”, and it gives us a look at an all new console room on the TARDIS! Click the image to embiggen…but I see this as taking a step back to the clean lines and functionality of the original TARDIS console, just without the whitewash of the room. There was always something that bothered me about the hodgepodge of random levers, pumps, etc. of the recent console that just didn’t make sense, other than to give the Doctor a reason to act like a complete madman when flying it…

Following up to announcement we posted previously, Syfy will air the U.K. series K9 in its entirety on Christmas Day, Tuesday, December 25th, 2012 from 10am-11pm ET/PT.

K9 follows the adventures of the robotic canine created by British writers Bob Baker and Dave Martin and first seen in the original 1978 BBC TV series Doctor Who series. The show mixes live action with stunning CG and special effects and pits the robot dog K9 and his teenage friends against a number of human and alien adversaries. The new dog is voiced by the legendary John Leeson, who voiced the original K9 from the 1978 Doctor Who series.

Bob Baker has won a number of BAFTAs for his co-writing of the hugely successful Wallace and Gromit shorts and feature, and together with his business partner Paul Tams, was closely involved in the creation of the new K9 series.

For more information on K9 please visit the show’s website www.k9official.com.

Check out what some of your favorite Syfy say their favorite – and weirdest – gifts on the holidays are, what their New Years resolutions are, and what their favorite holiday specials are! Jaleel White (Total Blackout), Julie Benz (Defiance), Saul Rubinek and Allison Scagliotti (Warehouse 13), Kristen Hager (Being Human), and Rachel Nichols (Continuum).
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Check out the prequel webisode for the upcoming Doctor Who Christmas Special, “The Snowmen”. This prequel is entitled “Vastra Investigates”, and features three returning characters: Vastra, the Silurian who helps Scotland Yard in Victorian times (Sherlock Holmes style), her assistant (and lover) Jenny, and Strax, the Sontaran nurse.

Does anyone else see a spinoff series in the making? Hmm…and check out the latest trailer afterwards!
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Syfy is planning on closing out 2012 (and perhaps the world) with a holiday programming festival featuring an End of the World movie marathon – in case the Mayan apocalyptic prediction proves false – along with a Star Trek film extravaganza, the Doctor Who spinoff K-9 and, of course, the annual Twilight Zone New Year’s Eve journey into the Fifth Dimension.
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We’re still a few weeks away from this year’s Doctor Who Christmas special, “Snowmen”, on Christmas Day, but the BBC is making sure we remember – the latest tease is a lot of promotional pictures…rather than post them all here, check out Blogtor Who’s article featuring the pictures.

I’m starting to think that Jenna-Louise Coleman’s getting prettier each time I see her 🙂

I haven’t done one of these in a few years, but I thought I’d put together a small holiday buying guide for SF lovers – at least some of the items I think readers of this site would like…

To start, I cannot say enough about Ashley Eckstein’s Her Universe – except that I am jealous as the merchandise is for females of the species. My loss appears to be my wife and daughters gain – they love their shirts, and they might just be finding a few more delivered by Santa this year…just this week there are two new Doctor Who shirts – “Whovian” and “The Girl Who Waited”, while on the Star Wars side there are new “Cute Vader” pajamas and a Japanese-style V-neck. And the Ahsoka Tano hoodie, representing Ashley’s alter ego, is now available in adult sizes due to demand.
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49 years ago today, in just a couple hours (17:16 GMT, or 12:16pm EST), Doctor Who debuted on the BBC with the very first episode, “An Unearthly Child”, and set off what would become a worldwide phenomenon. Originally conceived as a family show with educational aspects, using time travel to teach about history, etc. the show would be produced continuously for 26 series.

In 1989, with declining viewership and increasing budgetary constraints (anyone remember how they avoided showing the inside of the TARDIS in the final season? They had junked the set before that season, and for a final scene they built a cheap one), despite assurances from the BBC that it would return, Doctor Who ceased production until 1996, when the BBC and Fox jointly produced a TV movie starring Paul McGann as a backdoor pilot in an attempt to relaunch the show in both hemispheres. The movie was poorly received (and canonically questionable), and the Doctor was once more relegated to the vortex.

Finally, in 2005, Doctor Who returned to television after some success with animated webcasts and a big audio adventure business. Russel T. Davies took the producing reins, production took place in Cardiff at BBC Wales, and Christopher Eccleston became the 9th Doctor when he told Rose Tyler, “Run!”

Since then we’ve had 7 new series, two more Doctors in David Tennant and Matt Smith, several new companions, and a show that doesn’t look like it will stop any time soon.

Happy Birthday, Doctor – and may we celebrate many more!

Check out the Children In Need minisode of Doctor Who, called “The Great Detective”, followed by the trailer for the upcoming Christmas special, titled “The Snowmen”, which will air Christmas Day.
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Helmer Steven Moffat confirmed today that Neil Gaiman is indeed writing an episode of Doctor Who that will be part of the current season (it was earlier suggested that his episode may get pushed back for budgetary reasons), and that the episode will mark the return of the Cybermen. Not much else is known, but we do know that the episode will co-star Warwick Davis (Willow, the Leprechaun and Star Wars movies, and more recently Life’s Too Short), Tamzin Outhwaite (EastEnders) and Jason Watkins (Being Human).

Neil Gaiman won a Hugo award for last season’s episode, “The Doctor’s Wife”.

Update: The first day of filming was today!