Latest news with #SciFi
BBC News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Bromyard sci-fi museum to auction Doctor Who and Red Dwarf props
A museum holding a "lifetime collection" of Doctor Who memorabilia, along with Star Wars and Red Dwarf props, is putting its entire collection up for Time Machine Museum of Science Fiction holds props and costumes from both the early and revived series of the BBC auctioneers, Heritage Auctions, described it as "one of the most comprehensive Doctor Who archives ever assembled".Items from the museum, in Bromyard, Herefordshire, were also used in other classic sci-fi films and programmes, including from Star Trek: Voyager, will also be going under the hammer next month. The museum opened its doors in 2007 and closed in March when the owner, Andy Glazzard, decided to retire."We are naturally sorry to part with such a wonderful collection after so many years curating the items in our museum," he said. "But time goes on."About 85% of the 75 pieces in the museum are related to Doctor Who, which was first shown on BBC television more than 60 years them are a Tardis used by Third Doctor Jon Pertwee in a fan-made serial thought to be one of his final filmed has a starting estimate of £3,500.A reproduction of the Doctor's robotic dog, K9, dating from 2005, is listed at £1,500.A full-length cape worn by the Sixth Doctor, Colin Baker, is expected to fetch at least £740, as is a costume worn by companion Rose Tyler, played by Billie up for sale are an original model miniature of Starbug 1, the craft used by the crew of Red Dwarf in the series of the same name, and a costume worn by the robotic humanoid Kryten. "This is a landmark auction for all Doctor Who, Star Trek and Red Dwarf fans (amongst others) and all those passionate about science fiction," said Alastair McCrea from Heritage Auctions."The breadth of the collection and the care taken to preserve it, makes it unprecedented and we anticipate huge interest from around the globe for these pieces.""We wish the successful bidders of our items all the best for the future, hoping that they will enjoy their purchases as much as we have," added Mr sale is due to take place from 16-18 July. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Doctor Who showrunner admits ‘we don't know what's happening' as future remains uncertain
Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies has admitted that he's still uncertain about the future of the beloved sci-fi show following the conclusion of the latest season. Ncuti Gatwa departed as the titular Doctor after season 15 came to an end last month. In a shock reveal, he was seemingly replaced by the returning Billie Piper, however, it is yet to be officially announced what character she will play. The BBC has yet to confirm if Doctor Who has been renewed, with questions remaining over the show's co-production deal with Disney+, which streams the series in the US. In a production diary for the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine, Davies announced a pause to the page as he awaits news. The 62-year-old wrote: 'We don't know what's happening yet, and while everyone works that out, I'll take a pause on this page… Hopefully, we'll have news soon,' Deadline quotes a source from the show as saying: 'This letter is a production notes diary for when the show is in production, or on air, and as Russell has stated within the piece, it is a pause.' The news comes as new ratings show that overall viewership was down for the latest season, which averaged around 3.2 million viewers across the eight episodes, which is half a million fewer than the previous season, as per Deadline. Davies previously addressed the future of the show in an interview with Radio Times in April. 'There's no decision until after season two,' said Davies, a month before the latest series was due to come o an end. 'It's funny, because even people who work on the show think that means we're having secret meetings about it. People I work with every year say, 'What's really happening?' and I'm going, 'Nothing! No meetings, nothing.' "That's when the decision is – and the decision won't even be made by the people we work with at Disney+, it'll be made by someone in a big office somewhere. So literally nothing is happening, no decision." Gatwa was the Doctor for just two seasons, but in a behind-the-scenes clip released on YouTube, the actor revealed that a short tenure was always the plan. According to the star, this was 'because it's a role that demands a lot of you, physically and emotionally and mentally'. Speaking on the companion show Doctor Who: Unleashed, the Sex Education star added: 'You know it's gonna happen when you get cast. You're like, 'I'm gonna have to hand this baton over one time, it's all gonna come to an end soon.' So I feel like I've been in constant preparation for that.' Gatwa, 32, called his exit from the show 'bittersweet', stating: 'I can imagine it's been for all Doctors. Just looking at the console before regenerating was like, 'My god, this console – it's been here for 60 years. And I was here for some of those years. And how magic.''
Gizmodo
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
‘Doctor Who' Utterly Wasted Belinda Chandra
Varada Sethu's addition to the TARDIS was a jolt of energy 'Doctor Who' needed—but it bafflingly transformed her into the modern era's most squandered companion. When the latest season of Doctor Who kicked off, the most exciting thing about it wasn't even its premiere story, or what was being set up to lead towards the season's grand finale: it was the arrival of Varada Sethu as Belinda Chandra, promising to shake up the Doctor/companion dynamic in a way it hadn't been in years. But now that the season is over, and Doctor Who lies amid a litany of narrative and production messes lurching towards an uncertain future, one of its biggest of all is just how it completely and utterly wasted Belinda's character. A young nurse balancing the rigorous demands of her career with the sudden tumult of being thrust into a suitably ludicrous Doctor Who narrative—abducted by giant robots and whisked off into space to become a planetary ruler and forcibly thrust into a horrific arranged marriage—Belinda's arrival in 'The Robot Revolution' immediately bucked the trends of most Doctor Who companion debuts, especially in the modern era. After initial moments of fear and hesitation, life in the Doctor's orbit is, more often than not, too mesmerizing to resist: 45 minutes to an hour later everyone from Rose Tyler to Ruby Sunday is ready to step inside the TARDIS, remark on its interior's size, and run straight forward into adventures in time and space. And yet, while Belinda ends up in the blue box just like the rest of them, she challenges the Doctor, both from his own perspective and that of the audience, every step of the way. The Belinda of 'The Robot Revolution' isn't obstinate for the sake of it or anything, but she rightfully pushes the Doctor's assumption that his way, his default of being the person that everyone in the room should listen to unquestionably, isn't the only way. It made for a remarkable chemistry between the Doctor and Belinda, and not just for Ncuti Gatwa and Varada Sethu's own sparkling charisma (the latter certainly cannot be blamed for the narrative choices the show makes with her character), but because you really see them feel out each other over the course of the episode, figuring out where lines are drawn between them—and it's Belinda drawing the lines. The Doctor's charm offensive, which has by and large driven so many of those initial sparks in the companion/Doctor relationship, simply does not work on Belinda. It all culminates in a brilliant final moment in that debut episode to set the tone going forward: calling him out for invading her privacy, for not thinking to ask people consent, for brazenly trying to dazzle her in the same way he'd clearly dazzled many people before her. There is clearly some part of Belinda that likes the Doctor; she's not actively horrified or disdainful of him, but she makes it clear he crosses lines, and the world he operates in (or rather worlds) are dangerous. She wants home, and the only thing that stops that is the fact that they can't get there—the adventures along the way aren't her signing up for this dazzling new life, but a necessity to get what she wants. It's a shame then, that this version of Belinda by and large stops existing halfway through her season of Doctor Who. Of course, she was always going to soften in her appraisal of the Doctor the longer she spent with him, but the show plays an awkward balancing act where both Belinda moves on from this challenging almost inorganically—arguably she is totally fine with traveling with the Doctor by the end of the second episode, 'Lux,' but even after the darkness of 'The Well' an episode later she is truly into the default companion mode—and because the season then also starts suddenly having to balance in dedicating its limited runtime to episodes about Ruby like 'Lucky Day,' or 'The Story and the Engine,' where Belinda is barely part of the narrative. For many of the other thorny narrative issues it has, by the time the season is heading into its endgame in 'The Interstellar Song Contest,' the version of Belinda we get there, where her reaction to the Doctor crossing a distinct moral line in aggressively torturing his 'foe' in Kid, is far from the woman who called him out for scanning her without asking her in 'The Robot Revolution,' willing to effectively rubber-stamp the Doctor's actions as a moment of duress. Which would be disappointing, but fine if Doctor Who replaced that initial skeptical archetype with anything, but instead Belinda is pushed into a void, a generic 'companion.' We don't learn anything about her, really, other than the fact that she wants to get home. But all that is before the real injustice comes in the two-part season finale. In its first part, 'Wish World', Belinda is transformed by the reality imposed by Conrad—the asshole villain weirdo who stalked Ruby in 'Lucky Day'—onto the earth into the Doctor's matronly wife. The reality is presented by the text as aberrant and dystopian, a world where every woman exists to be a good daughter, a good wife to her husband, and then a willing mother dutifully raising the next generation of daughters to follow in that exact same mold. In 'Wish World,' Belinda's one-note definition as mother to her and the Doctor's child, Poppy, is reflective of Conrad's retrograde views about women, filing them down into a single trait that is subservient to a traditionalist, conservative patriarchal power balance. The fact that Belinda, Poppy's mom, is not Belinda, the Doctor's companion that we've followed over the course of this season, is meant to be disturbing, to be something we want her to break free of and recognise the trap she, the Doctor, and the rest of the world in. 'The Reality War' instead decides that reducing Belinda to this singular trait—altered reality or otherwise—is Good, Actually. The second Belinda is freed from Conrad's world, her sole dramatic trait is reminding us that she is Poppy's mother and that that is all that she cares about, regardless of the chaos beginning to unfold around her on the Doctor, to the point that she literally tells him that she can't help him in his fight against the Rani. The episode metaphorically and literally shoves her in a box so Ruby can take on the primary companion role, safeguarding her and Poppy from any reversions to the original reality that might render the latter erased as quickly as she was wished into being. She's only allowed out the box when the day is saved, and again, she reverts to this matriarchal character, both when it initially seems like she, the Doctor, and Poppy might travel together, and then when Poppy vanishes from reality and the Doctor choses to sacrifice his life to bring her back. There is a lot of 'Reality War' that is an absolute mess, but little of it feels quite as insulting as what it does to Belinda's character. Having a character for whom motherhood is important is not the issue here; there is plenty that could've been done with a companion that's a mother (we certainly got a particularly involved version of that with Amy's arc in the Steven Moffat era!). It's that Doctor Who essentially took the Belinda it had—who, by episode count and other narrative decisions, had already been losing her sense of an arc—wiped her clean, and then metaphorically stamped 'mom' on her forehead, and left her like that for the episode's final act. An act that is now our farewell to the character, one that even attempts to retroactively 'reveal' that Belinda's arc was always about returning home to Poppy via a series of flashbacks to prior scenes from the season altered to now have Belinda add 'for Poppy' to the end of every mention of her desire to get back to Earth. That's not an actual character arc, or even an interesting recontextualization that reframes what the audience had already seen in new light. It's a literal re-write of what the audience already saw! After telling us the week prior that it was wrong for Conrad to impose, without consent, a patriarchal gender role on Belinda, Doctor Who itself has the Doctor do exactly that to Belinda, re-write all of reality to make her into a single mom. The Belinda Chandra we met in 'The Robot Revolution' doesn't exist any more, not just because the show whittled down her character into nothingness, but because the show concludes her arc by rewriting her existence so that that Belinda never existed in the first place. There's even a dark mirror in the final moments of that arc, when the Doctor does exactly to Poppy what he did to Belinda in the climax of 'The Robot Revolution': medically scan her with his alien technology without a single thought to ask if he was allowed to first. It's just that this time not only does Belinda not challenge him, she doesn't react at all. She is 'just' Poppy's mother now, with no thought or feeling given to her beyond that description. Again, a having a female character to whom being a parent is important is not the issue with what Doctor Who did with Belinda. There were so many ways the series could've given this ending to her storyline and actually organically laid out a path to it across the season. Perhaps have her slowly realize over time that something, someone is missing from her memories of her life on Earth, to struggle with the feeling that she has to get back to Earth as soon as possible while not fully grasping why, to eventually play with the reality manipulation that the finale hangs its dramatic stakes on. Instead, the show started with a completely different idea and dynamic for her—one brimming with potential it almost immediately decided not to capitalize on—before slowly but surely pushing her further and further to the fringes of its priorities over the course of the season. Belinda was never given the chance to grow and change over her time in the TARDIS, to challenge, and to be challenged by, life at the Doctor's side. Her final ending was just the last nail in a coffin Doctor Who had been building for Belinda's character as we'd known her in that first episode for a while, whether that was its narrative intent or otherwise—and ultimately just one extra failure to add to the season's list of many.
Forbes
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
The ‘Doctor Who' Regeneration Controversy, Explained
Billie Piper as the 16th Doctor in 'Doctor Who' 'The Reality War,' the finale of the 15th season of Doctor Who, saw Ncuti Gatwa exit the role of the Doctor, regenerating into Billie Piper, who previously appeared in the series as the Doctor's companion. Fans of the show were shocked at the reveal, as recasting a former companion as the Doctor was a first for the long-running sci-fi series. The Doctor has been played by a total of 16 different actors across the show's 60-year history, with each new actor introduced via 'regeneration.' Doctor Who is an interesting example of a sci-fi story offering viewers an in-universe explanation for the inevitable recasting that occurs during a multi-decade series. The Doctor is a member of an ancient alien race known as the Time Lords, who have the ability to regenerate into a fresh body when fatally wounded, imbuing them with a new personality and appearance. Canonically, Time Lords are limited to 12 regenerations, but of course, the Doctor was granted an exception, so that the series could continue. The ability to regenerate can result in a Time Lord changing race and sex, and the Doctor's recent regenerations have introduced more diversity to the series, but the show's latest regeneration proved controversial with fans. The backlash wasn't some tedious culture war bickering, but a debate over canon, nostalgia and the future of the show. 'The Reality War' sees Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor regenerate into Billie Piper, who first appeared in the series as Rose Tyler. Rose was the Doctor's companion between 2005 and 2013, during the eras of Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant, who both played the Time Lord. Many fans viewed the recasting of a previous companion as a desperate move motivated by nostalgia. One commentator even explained the casting through the lens of Spider-Man, so outsiders could understand the controversy. The discourse sparked a discussion about what kind of audience is still watching Doctor Who today, with some asserting that children are no longer the main audience of the series. Other commentators were disappointed to see Gatwa's time as the Doctor end so abruptly. Gatwa's Doctor was unusually short-lived, lasting a mere 18 months, and the actor never got to see his Doctor face off against the series' most iconic villains. Some viewed the modern Doctor Who regenerations as too frequent, with actors leaving the show before they could truly leave their mark on the role. Many comparisons were made to the MCU recasting Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom, a movie which was widely viewed as a gimmick among Marvel fans. Some fans even suspected that there was more to the story, and that Piper's casting was a red herring, noting that Piper was not officially introduced as the Doctor in the show's credits. 'Just how and why she is back remains to be seen,' the BBC said in a suspiciously vague statement after the finale aired. 'It's an honour and a hoot to welcome her back to the TARDIS, but quite how and why and who is a story yet to be told,' showrunner Russell T. Davies said. Despite the controversy, Piper sounded optimistic about her new role, saying that the opportunity to "step back on that TARDIS one more time was just something I couldn't refuse.'
Geek Vibes Nation
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Vibes Nation
GVN Talking Comics: Chuck Austen On Edgeworld Vol. 3 (ComiXology Originals)
Back in October of 2020, we first sat down with creators Chuck Austen and Patrick Olliffe about their new series for ComiXology Originals Edgeworld. An intriguing and creative mix of Sci-Fi and Western highlighting the talented team at their best. Fastforward to the present and ComiXology Original's Edgeworld is getting ready to launch its third and final volume on May 13th. Giving creators Austen and Olliffe the chance to end their story on their own terms. In preparation for the release of season 3, Issue #11, we sat down once again with creator Chuck Austen to discuss the evolution of Edgeworld and everything that has gone into its final chapter. So, let's welcome back Chuck Austen to GVN Talking Comics . Revisiting the Origins of 'Edgeworld' GVN: Thank you once again for taking the time to chat, Chuck. CHUCK: Thanks for having me again, Martin. GVN: The last time we spoke was back in 2020 when we discussed 'Edgeworld,' your imaginative mix of Sci-fi and Westerns, along with Patrick Olliffe. During that conversation, you mentioned that you were ready for a long-term commitment from the very beginning. I recall you saying you had written 15 scripts, with 10 of them completed before you even pitched the story. CHUCK: Ha! I actually found two more. A story called 'Dead Man Walking', but yeah. I had done quite a few. Preparing for the Long Haul GVN: Was that confidence rooted in your belief in the concept and its potential longevity? CHUCK: Some confidence, yeah, but really, I was just loving writing the stories, and the more I wrote, the more excited Pat got, which would get me more excited, and encouraged me to write more. I think it was my working situation at the time. My day-job was helping mentor younger creators in creating their scripts, and stories, and it had been a long time since I'd written anything for myself. Edgeworld kind of opened the floodgates, I guess. GVN: Did you think that, if necessary, you could adapt the scripts into another idea? CHUCK: Not really. They were always intended as Edgeworld stories, and they're pretty specific, and tied to the characters and concept, though maybe I could have. I was just having fun, and we approached the concept as if it was an old-style television series, Weekly one-and-done stories, or at most two parts. No weekend drops for Netflix. So we could stop and start at any time and no one would feel like they'd been deprived of a satisfying conclusion. But Chip wanted arcs for trades… 5 issues that paid off from beginning to end, so that's why we took the approach we did. We took those original scripts and opened them up with threads and character arcs. The hope was we could get to 15 and end the main storyline. Or we could stop at 5, if need be. Pat and I always thought it was such an unusual concept we'd be lucky to get 5. Then after 5, we were approved for the next 10, and that was it. So those extra scripts could still be used at some point, but for now they'll lie around on my hard drive, or in print at Pat's house. The rights revert back to us, so we can always take it somewhere else. Or I could retire. LOL. My plan is to retire. Multiple Creative Roles GVN: Your confidence has paid off, as Issue #11 is set to be released on May 13th. However, starting with Issue #12, you are stepping up to take on multiple roles—not just as the writer, but also as the artist and letterer. Was this your intention as you entered the third season? CHUCK: Oh, God, no. That was a combination of things. The book never paid for itself, so I paid the difference out of pocket. Then I left animation production, intending to retire, and I wasn't making enough money anymore to produce a book. This was just about the time Pat and I sold Defiant. I talked to Amazon and they allowed us to do Defiant so Pat could earn a living while I worked out the finances for Edgeworld, but they weren't thrilled about having to wait–understandably. So Pat and I put Edgeworld on hold for a while, expecting to return to it together again in the future. Somehow the idea of me being the artist came up, and Jeff and I began discussing my drawing Edgeworld to finish out the contract. I did some samples to show I could approximate Pat's style, and he approved me, though he preferred Pat's art to mine LOL, and so here we are. The Challenges of Drawing Once Again GVN: Did you have any concerns about taking on such a challenge? Although this isn't your first time handling artistic duties for a project. CHUCK: I did, yeah. I haven't drawn a comic in over twenty years, and the expectations in the industry have only gotten higher. And Pat is so great. Such a hard act to follow. I didn't think I could live up to him, and I think of it as half his. It took me a week per page to do the tests for Jeff, and at first I told him I couldn't do it. It wasn't possible. Then I got the idea to use CG as an assist, and I was able to produce the pages fast enough to make it work. The Premise of Edgeworld GVN: For fans who may not be familiar with the story, could you explain the premise of Edgeworld? Also, can a new reader start from Issue #11? CHUCK: New readers can start with #1. Amazon/Comixology keeps them available in their digital store, and Dark Horse has them in print as two trades available through comic shops. 11 is part 3 of a cliffhanger, so I'd recommend going back and starting at the beginning, if you're interested. It's worth it. I'm very proud of what Pat and I produced. Star Wars/Star Trek thrown in a blender with old westerns and Twilight Zone. The basic concept is–as a friend described after reading them–'the Sheriff of Mos Eisley'. Rush is a small spaceport on a planet named Pala–called Edgeworld by the invading humans–at the edge of the galaxy is orbited by a riftgate that opens into other galaxies, normally out of reach. Rush becomes the gateway to trade, and wealth in those other galaxies, and Rush is the reststop–the bathroom break on the trip to and from those other galaxies. Dozens of alien species travel through that gate every day, and Killian, the human 'Magistrate', is judge, jury and executioner of this little frontier town, keeping the peace with Cheela, his local adopted daughter who hates him (don't call it Edgeworld, the name is Pala!). Cheela is a genius detective who helps Killian even though she's not legally old enough for the work, because Killian needs her inventive thinking and local knowledge. In a way she's better at his job than he is. Killian's newest partner is Halley, another local female who is tough and resourceful in her own right, but learning the job, the 'hew-mann' language, and personal hygiene as she goes. Then there's Shay, the somewhat emotionless mayor of Rush, and the proprietor of the Moonlight, a local bar, and brothel, who is Killian's best friend, and sometime lover. Together they deal with weird alien crimes, strange diseases, murderous parasites, and hostile humans who feel they're better than everyone else, especially the locals. Possible Regrets Now that the End is Near GVN: Edgeworld has received widespread acclaim from both critics and fans, with your third and final season fast approaching. The hard work that you and Patrick put in is coming to fruition. As you are near the end of the story, will you have any regrets that it is over, or will you feel satisfied that you were able to tell the tale you envisioned? CHUCK: The response has been really rewarding, and I've enjoyed every minute of creating this series. I'm so glad it's connected with people. I feel satisfied that it will come to a pre-planned conclusion, but yeah… I'll have some regrets about not being able to do more. I do love those other stories, and the idea of continuing beyond this first major arc. But I'm older, and tired, and at my age it's kind of crazy to be drawing comics again, so retirement sounds a little better at the moment. LOL. I tease my son that he'll have to finish out the series in the far distant future, after I'm gone. Other Projects Upcoming GVN: Thanks again, Chuck. Before I let you go, I want to give you the opportunity to tell our fans one last time about the third season of Edgeworld and any other projects you might have coming up. CHUCK: The third season wraps up some threads from the very first issue and beyond. I think most readers thought of them as backstory, but there's an underlying mystery that I hope will surprise and delight people when we get to 15. In the meantime, if you like 'Edgeworld,' Pat and I also created 'The Tormented' for Amazon/Comixology, a horror series about a fake ghost hunting TV show that gets a little more real than anyone expected when it turns out the host of the show, Ryan, can actually see, and communicate with the dead, otherworldly beings, and violent creatures from other realms. He's the son of an intensely powerful warlock and has many of his father's powers–which he'll need if he's going to survive and protect his crew. Beyond that, we're also finishing the third issue of 'Defiant,' a terrifically fun series we created for DSTLRY that takes spacefaring, and galactic exploration to the next level. Bizarre, alien cultures, and worlds, galactic mysteries, strange, advanced beings whose goals span millenia… We had so much fun with that one. Thanks so much for the time, Martin! ComiXology Original's Edgeworld , Issue#11, Volume 3 by Chuck Austen and Patrick Olliffe is available on May 13th.
