Sci-Fi Storm

I haven’t heard officially the reason yet, but BBC America will not show the next episode, “The Almost People”, next weekend, instead delaying an an extra week. Most likely due to traditional low ratings on the Memorial Day weekend. This means the U.S. will fall behind a week as the UK will still get their episode as planned. It may not be too bad though – there were only two more episodes in the current schedule, as Series 6 was split into two production sets, and episode 7 will air June 11th before the break. Hopefully when it returns to same-day when the second half returns and we don’t have to endure spoilers from every direction.

Since the BBC is dividing the sixth series of Doctor Who into two, rather than make everyone wait they will release the Blu-ray and DVD sets in two parts as well – with the first part being release on July 19th in the U.S. (July 11th in the U.K.). Pre-orders are now open for the [sfs=1135]Blu-ray[/sfs] and [sfs=1136]DVD[/sfs] sets. The prices appear to be less than half of the complete Fifth Series set (and if they go down further after you order before the release, you’ll get the lower price).

Now, we don’t know if there is a special 50th anniversary episode/special planned for Doctor Who – it isn’t due for two years – but if you ask current show runner Steven Moffat his reactions do seem to indicate he is thinking about it at least. The hope is something akin to a “The Five Doctors” special, with all the available Doctors appearing.

Christopher Eccleston, who helped revitalize the franchise with his broody portrayal of the Doctor’s ninth incarnation, has definitely been thinking about it – and the answer is a pretty definite “no”. In an interview with Graham Norton on Radio 2, he said specifically, “No, never bathe in the same river twice.”

Now, of course, things could change – but Eccleston has seemed pretty adamant that he has done what he wanted, he’s proud of it, but it’s done and he’s moving on.

The next Doctor Who prequel video, a prequel to the 3rd episode, “Curse of the Black Spot”, is now available and you can watch it right here:

Doctor Who isn’t up for a BAFTA award this year, but the Doctor himself is – or rather, Matt Smith – apparently the first time that the actor playing the Doctor has been nominated. The competition is fierce though, and there is a significant SF presence, as the Drama Series category includes Being Human, Misfits, the Who-esque Sherlock, and Downton Abbey.

Smith also faces competition in the Leading Actor from Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock), Jim Broadbent (Any Human Heart, but no stranger to the Doctor – he played the role very temporarily in a comedy short – or Harry Potter fans), and Daniel Rigby (Eric and Ernie).

Other related noms were Lauren Socha (Misfits) for Leading Actress and Martin Freeman (Sherlock) for Supporting Actor. Misfits was also nominated for New Media.

The BAFTA awards take place May 22nd.

The debut of Doctor Who‘s sixth series (since the return) was apparently a ratings win in the U.S. for BBC America, where it broke the cable network’s viewership record, bringing in 1.28 million viewers and a 0.92 rating in the 25-54 demographic. The previous record was the fifth series debut last year.

However, in the UK the ratings on the BBC were actually down significantly, losing 1.5 million viewers compared to the 5th series debut, bringing in 6.4 million viewers. Why? The weather, apparently…it was a nice sunny day, and Who airs in the early evening.

I received notification from Universal Studios Home Entertainment that the release of [sfs=1125]Eureka Season 4.0[/sfs] has apparently been pushed back to July 5th (Amazon still says June 21st). Also on that date, [sfs=1128]Season One[/sfs] and [sfs=1129]Season Two[/sfs] will be re-released in new slim packaging.

In addition, three more classic Doctor Who serials are being released:

• [sfs=1130]”The Gunfighters”[/sfs] Episode 25 – Season 3 – William Hartnell (July 12th)
• [sfs=1131]”The Awakening”[/sfs] Episode 132 – Season 21 – Peter Davison (July 12th)
• [sfs=1132]”Paradise Towers”[/sfs] Episode 148 – Season 24 – Sylvester McCoy (August 9th)

Check out the Doctor Who section of our Sci-Fi TV Store for all the classic episodes available.

The shocking news took over Twitter but it appears to have been confirmed now by the BBC: Actress Elisabeth Sladen, who was best known for the role of Sarah Jane Smith on Doctor Who opposite two Doctors and not one but two spin-offs, has passed away today at the age of 63. The cause has not been confirmed yet, but reports suggest that she had been battling cancer. Our thoughts are with her husband Brian and daughter Sadie.

It remains to be seen what the BBC does about Sarah Jane Adventures, which I believe was already in production on a 5th series.

Russell T Davies added (via BBC reporter Lizo Mzimba): “I absolutely loved Lis. She was funny and cheeky and clever and just simply wonderful…The universe was lucky to have Sarah Jane Smith; the world was lucky to have Lis.”

Sarah Jane occupied most of my memories of Doctor Who when I was a kid. I first discovered the show early in Tom Baker’s run but I also saw a number of the Jon Pertwee episodes as well. She will be sorely missed.

The BBC has now released a full statement, with some nice words from those who worked with her.

I may continue updating this article as more information or more thoughts arrive.

10th Doctor David Tennant is a dad…which makes 5th Doctor Peter Davison a granddad (again)! Tennant’s fiancée Geogia Moffett, daughter of Peter Davison, gave birth to daughter Olivia on Thursday. Seems she was a bit more pregnant than the press realized when the two announced their engagement. Congratulations to the couple and the granddad!

To make it a little weirder in case you forgot…Moffett played the eponymous character in “The Doctor’s Daughter”, who was created from the Doctor’s DNA.

This one seems aimed at the American audience, and appears to focus specifically on the story that takes place there…