Sci-Fi Storm

Despite the seemingly mixed chatter regarding Peter Capaldi’s rendition of the Doctor, or the chemistry between him and Jenna Coleman’s Clara, or the complex, confusing plots, Series 8 of Doctor Who proved to be the best yet for BBC America, culminating in a Christmas episode that was the #1 non-sports program in its time slot, but was more than double Matt Smith’s first Christmas episode, at 2.31 million viewers. Overall, Series 8 delivered a little over 2 million viewers on average on Live+3 ratings.

This just looks like a fun episode…
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Seems some of the doom prognosticators clamoring over Doctor Who getting old may have missed the mark (although we’ll see with Episode 2 numbers next week). In the UK, it scored 6.79M/32.5 share in the overnight ratings, which means nearly 1/3rd of all TV sets in use in the UK were tuned to BBC One for the Series 8 debut of Peter Capaldi, “Deep Breath”. This made it the most watch Who opener since 2010.

In the U.S. the numbers may not seem as spectacular, with 2.2M viewers, but it was a significant increase over the Series 7 opener at 1.56M, and the Series 8 opener is now the most watch Doctor Who series opener of all time for BBC America. In addition, with the debut of Intruders afterwards, it is in fact the most watched Saturday night of all time for the channel.

The U.K. tabloid The Mirror is reporting that a source inside the Doctor Who production says that Jenna-Louise Coleman, who plays current companion Clara Oswald, will depart the show with this year’s Christmas episode. “The conversations about Jenna’s exit have started, and a plan is in place which is being ironed out,” according to the source.

Keep in mind this is only being reported by The Mirror, so I’d treat it as a moderate rumor right now. But despite the love shown for Coleman, we would not be surprised if it is true. Jenna will have officially been on the show for nearly two full series, plus the special episodes bridging Matt Smith to Peter Capaldi, which gives here a fair amount of time on the show. But it is rare for a companion to span much beyond a Doctor’s regeneration – notable exceptions were Billy Piper’s Rose, who did two full series (and some guest episodes) between Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant, and of course Elisabeth Sladen’s Sarah Jane Smith, who worked several series between Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker.

What does cast some doubt is the source saying, “By the time she leaves she will be one of the longest-standing companions ever.” That really isn’t true by any measure I can think of, considering the leader of the current run of the series is Karan Gillan with two and a half series, plus Sladen and some other companions in the classic series lasted longer.

Now, if you want to debate cutest companions, I agree she’s near the top of the list…

The Nerdist host Chris Hardwick will be doing two live specials on BBC America on August 23rd for the premiere of Doctor Who Series 8…the first will be Doctor Who: Live Pre-Show, starting at 7:30pm ET, right before the premiere which airs at 8:00pm ET, and then Doctor Who: After Who Live will start at 11:00pm ET, after the BBC America premiere of the new show Intruders. No details on guests except writer/director/actor Mark Gatiss is expected to attend.

Hmm…that voice seems familiar…and not quite Dalek…
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The 8th series of Doctor Who returns with new Doctor Peter Capaldi starting on August 23rd, on BBC One in the UK and BBC America in the US! Airtimes to be announced later.
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We didn’t know a lot about the upcoming Netflix series Sense8, from Andy and Lana Wachowski with J. Michael Straczynski, but now we know who will be in it, and a bit more on what it is about.

According to Deadline, the international cast includes U.S. actors Daryl Hannah (Splash, Kill Bill Vols. I and II), Brian J. Smith (Stargate Universe) and Terrence Mann (The Dresden Files); British actors Naveen Andrews (Lost, Sinbad, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland), Freema Agyeman (Doctor Who, Torchwood), Tuppence Middleton (Sinbad, Trance), and Aml Ameen (Lee Daniels’ The Butler, Harry’s Law); Mexican actors Alfonso Herrera and Erendira Ibarra; Indian actress Tena Desae (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel); South Korean actress Doona Bae (Cloud Atlas); and German actor Max Riemelt (The Wave), along with Jamie Clayton and Miguel Silvestri.

“The series follows eight characters around the world who, in the aftermath of a tragic death, find themselves linked to each other mentally and emotionally,” co-showrunner J. Michael Straczynski told Deadline. “They can not only see and talk to each other as though they were in the same place, they have access to each other’s deepest secrets. Not only must they figure out what happened and why and what it means for the future of humanity, they must do so netflix-logowhile being hunted by an organization out to capture, kill or vivisect them.”

The Doctor sure does like to travel – and he will be traveling around the world this August! As part of a promotional World Tour to build up the buzz for the upcoming Series 8, new Doctor Peter Capaldi and companion Jenna Coleman (Clara Oswald) will visit 7 cities around the world in just 12 days, starting in Cardiff, Wales on August 7th and finishing in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on August 19th – presumably around the debut of the show. Showrunner Steven Moffat will appear at select cities as well.

The other cities are London, England; Seoul, South Korea; Sydney, Australia; New York; and Mexico City.

From the official release:

Following on from last year’s global smash-hit 50th anniversary, BBC Worldwide announce a major global publicity tour to launch the new series of Doctor Who and introduce Peter Capaldi as the new Doctor. Doctor Who: The World Tour will begin in the UK on August 7 and finish in Brazil on August 19.

The trip will see Twelfth Doctor Peter Capaldi, on-screen companion Jenna Coleman, and the show’s lead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat*, visit seven cities across five continents in 12 days, where they will attend fan events and media interviews, publicising Series 8 to a global audience.

The tour marks the largest ever promotional undertaking in Doctor Who’s 50-year history and will kick off in Welsh capital and home of the series’ production, Cardiff, before taking in London (UK), Seoul (South Korea), Sydney (Australia), New York (US), Mexico City (Mexico) and Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). More details of the itinerary will be available from doctorwho.tv soon, as well as reports from the tour as it happens, which fans everywhere will be able to enjoy across social and digital platforms.

Peter Capaldi has commented on his excitement ahead of the tour: “It’s fantastic that so many people across the world love Doctor Who. After 8 months solid filming deep in the world of monsters, Jenna and I are thrilled to be heading for the Planet of Fans”.

Executive producer and lead writer Steven Moffat adds: “I’ve always thought we’d all be a lot safer if the Doctor conquered the world, instead of the Daleks. Now with Jenna and Peter leading the charge, it looks like it’s going to happen. I’ll be bringing up the rear to handle the exposition scenes, and maybe carry some bags.”

Doctor Who Series 8 is due to premiere in the UK in August. US broadcaster BBC America will transmit on the same day. Doctor Who is distributed by BBC Worldwide to over 200 territories.

*Due to production commitments, Steven Moffat will be unable to attend to the entire tour. The cities he will join the tour for will be announced soon.