Caleb Woodbridge and P.G. Bell bring you our monthly roundup of news, views and chatter.
It’s a short and sweet one this month – just enough time to congratulate Steven Moffat on his new BAFTA, wave goodbye to the Ponds and hello to Jenna-Louise Coleman, and ponder the demise of the SFX Weekender convention. Plus, a look ahead to next month’s podcasts, which are chock full of Doctor Who goodness!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 13:02 — 11.9MB)
“I have been asked if I want to do a 2013 multi-Doctor special…”
The sixth Doctor speaks! One of the stars at this year’s SFX Weekender convention, Colin took the opportunity to hold forth on his four decades in show business and spill the beans on his greatest televisual triumph… Come Dine With Me.
He also gives a frank assessment of Doctor Who past and present as well as sharing some really excellent advice for budding actors everywhere. It was a presidential performance and one not to be missed!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 50:51 — 46.6MB)
“I didn’t stab anybody in the throat…”
Eve Myles is a local girl at heart. She may have swapped Cardiff for Los Angeles, but she was thrilled to be back in Wales for an in-depth Q&A at February’s SFX Weekender convention.
In a pretty candid interview, she reveals the story behind her pivotal role in The Unquiet Dead, how she unwittingly set a new trend in Hollywood and what she really thinks of Torchwood’s future. All this, plus the revenge of Little Barrowman.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 47:29 — 43.5MB)
Ianto speaks! If you liked this, check out our Gareth David-Lloyd interview.
“They went and cast a 12 year old as the Doctor…”
It’s time for some words of wisdom from the Seventh Doctor himself, Sylvester McCoy – recorded live at last February’s SFX Weekender. Sylvester was on typically lively form, swapping the safety of the stage for a roving microphone and getting up close and personal with his public.
And what a show he gave us. Not content with revealing a few secrets of his time in the TARDIS, he explained the origins of his stage name (be warned: it involves a rather naughty joke), why he used to set fire to his own head for money and what he really thinks of Matt Smith’s performance as the Doctor. Even more excitingly, he revealed how he won the role of Rrrrrrrrradagast the Brrrrrrrown in Peter Jackson’s forthcoming Hobbit movies. This one’s not to be missed!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 53:02 — 48.6MB)
What was Sylvester’s greatest Doctor Who moment? Head to our Facebook page and have your say!
When you think of sci-fi, the chances are you’re thinking of Space Opera. But as television turns its back on tales of “shooty-death-kill in space”, will the sub-genre continue to thrive on the printed page?
A stunning line-up of top sci-fi authors assembled at the recent SFX Weekender to confront this very question. Paul McAuley, Peter F. Hamilton, Alastair Reynolds, Dan Abnett, Jaine Fenn, Mike Cobley and Aaron Dembski-Bowden reviewed the current state of literary science fiction and raised some tantalising questions of their own. Have the harsh realities of modern life killed our dreams of exploration? Does it still count as Space Opera if the story’s set on Earth? And just what the frack is Space Opera anyway? All this and more, in the latest Impossible Podcast!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 54:36 — 50.0MB)
The dust has settled, the hangovers faded and the cosplay has been packed away for another year. But was this year’s SFX Weekender – one of Britain’s biggest sci-fi and fantasy conventions – worth the trip?
It’s safe to say that not everything went according to plan, but did the stellar guest list make up for the freezing temperatures and interminable queues? P.G. Bell shares the high and low points with Caleb Woodbridge and Sarah Burrow. PLUS! a report on the inaugural cosplay competition and interviews with a few of the participants. Click on the jump below to find photos of some of the people we spoke to, but head on over to our Facebook page to see a complete gallery of the weekend’s events!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 45:15 — 41.4MB)
(right click and “Save Target/Link As…”)P.S. The excellent ‘Transdimensional Mix’ of the Doctor Who theme music comes courtesy of HardWire.