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August 15th, 2012 56 comments

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Series 7 Episode Synopsis and Interviews

Doctor Who Series 7a Press Release

From www.bbc.co.uk

Doctor Who returns this autumn to the BBC, starring Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill as they head off on five epic adventures.

From Daleks to Dinosaurs and an alien with a grudge, this series features a whole host of guest stars, including: David Bradley, Rupert Graves, Stephen Berkoff, Mike McShane, Ben Browder, Adrian Scarbourgh and Anamaria Marinca.

Episode 1: Asylum Of The Daleks – Kidnapped by his oldest foe, the Doctor is forced on an impossible mission – to a place even the Daleks are too terrified to enter… the Asylum. A planetary prison confining the most terrifying and insane of their kind, the Doctor and the Ponds must find an escape route. But with Amy and Rory’s relationship in meltdown, and an army of mad Daleks closing in, it is up to the Doctor to save their lives, as well as the Pond’s marriage.

Episode 2: Dinosaurs On A Spaceship
– An unmanned spaceship hurtles towards certain destruction – unless the Doctor can save it, and its impossible cargo… of dinosaurs! By his side a ragtag gang of adventurers; a big game hunter, an Egyptian Queen and a surprised member of the Pond family. But little does the Doctor know there is someone else onboard who will stop at nothing to keep hold of his precious, prehistoric cargo.

Episode 3: A Town Called Mercy
– The Doctor gets a Stetson (and a gun!), and finds himself the reluctant Sheriff of a Western town under siege by a relentless cyborg, who goes by the name of the Gunslinger. But who is he and what does he want? The answer seems to lie with the mysterious, Kahler-Jex, an alien doctor (yes another one!) whose initial appearance is hiding a dark secret.

Interview with Steven Moffat

Head writer and executive producer Steven Moffat gives us an insight in to the monsters and adventures that we can expect from the new series.

So it is back with a bang and with Daleks from every decade. Why did you decide to kick-off the new series with a Dalek filled episode?

We’ve been off the air for longer than usual, so it was an easy decision to come back with Doctor Who at its most iconic and that means Daleks. Lots and lots of scary Daleks.

There have been many monsters to face the Doctor over the years, but only one that can sum up the whole series just by being there.

Also, it’s my first go at writing for them. I LOVE the Daleks, and I’ve held off till now. But I had what I thought was a good idea, and couldn’t resist any longer!!

What else can we expect from the new series?

We have, I think, our biggest range of stories EVER. We’ve got the return of the Daleks AND the Weeping Angels – both of them poll-topping Doctor Who adversaries – in cracking new stories, we’ve got Dinosaurs on a spaceship (it’s what you’ve always wanted), we’ve got a glorious western with a Cyborg Gunslinger, the most unusual invasion Earth story EVER, and location shooting in New York for the Pond finale.

Are there any new monsters to look out for and star guest appearances?

There’s a terrifying Cyborg in the old West, and wait till you see what’s invading Earth in episode 4. There’s never been an extra-terrestrial incursion like this one!! Guest stars include David Bradley, Rupert Graves, Stephen Berkoff, Mike McShane, Ben Browder, Adrian Scarbourgh and Anamaria Marinca.

As well as filming in and around Cardiff, you ventured abroad to Spain and New York for episodes 1, 3 and 5. What was it like to shoot in those locations?

I don’t think I’ve ever worked on show before that’s had foreign location shoots on three out of five episodes – it’s quite astonishing. We have snowy mountains for the series opener, New York for the finale and along the way a full-blooded Western shot on location where all the best cowboy movies come from – Spain. Location shooting at this level is such a blast of fresh air for the show – wide open spaces and wide open skies! It’s easy to say “movie scale” but that really is what we’re delivering.

We know to expect Amy and Rory’s departure in episode 5, why was it decided that this should be the time for them to go and with an episode featuring the Weeping Angels?

The story of the Ponds hasn’t even begun to end yet – they’ve got loads more adventures with their mad friend the Doctor ahead of them, and we’ll see more of their lives and Time Lord-complicated relationship than we ever have before. This more than any other, is the year of the Ponds.

But, yes, it’s true, I cannot lie – somewhere out there, the Weeping Angels are waiting for them…

What are you going to miss most about the characters and Karen and Arthur?

Amy and Rory have been with the Doctor since I took over show, they’re part of the landscape for me. It was just traumatic to consider a future without them. Amy is everything I admired (and sometimes feared) about strong, clever, reckless women, and Rory is the man I’d like to be – so strong he never has to show it.

Karen and Arthur have become friends, and I still can’t get my head round the fact that I’ll never find them on the set again. Brilliant performers and warm and lovely people – the best of the best.


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56 comments

  • RORY DOCTOR RIVER POND

    August 21st, 2012 - 7:48am

    can i just say i dont particularly care about saving marriages, as this is doctor who, not some reality adult TV show, it should focus on the aliens and the monsters, not stuff like that.

    Reply
  • daviddaorganist

    August 20th, 2012 - 9:11pm

    I think the daleks are just a red herring, the weeping angels are the key, Rasslion said in the end of time when they took the vote to make the final sanction “the vote has been cast, 2 against, let them stand as the weeping angels of old as a testiment to their shame” The doctor said in blink that the weeping angels have been there scince the beging of time (or more or less) but know one knows where they come from. i think they are time lords, maybe the bad ones that got dispersed over the years.

    Reply
  • Jake

    August 19th, 2012 - 3:36am

    Oh so like it. Looking forward to episode 1. I missed doctor who alot.

    Reply
  • Fan Craze

    August 16th, 2012 - 5:06pm

    My favouite episode i am looking foward to is Dinosaurs on a space ship and the angels take Manhattan.
    im so sad that amy and rory are leaving in episode 5 if they would leave i would make them leave in atleast episode 13.
    but im happy for matt smith that he is in series 8.

    Reply
    • WE’RE VERY CROSS WITH YOU !

      August 16th, 2012 - 5:10pm

      if they left in episode 13 then you would keep wanting to keep them.then they would never leave.i think they should have left in the christmas special or anoher special just to make it easier and then have series 7 to focus on clara oswin [surname revealed by The Mirror ]then we could have more with clara and then have her longer.but i prefer amy and rory leaving midway as well.but i hope it is good because sometimes the titles are better than the episode. and episode 5 title is good.but i hope the episode will be better than the title.

    • booboo

      August 16th, 2012 - 5:19pm

      another tabloid “announcing” stuff before confirmation from the Beeb

    • WE’RE VERY CROSS WITH YOU !

      August 16th, 2012 - 5:26pm

      no that was just my idea.it is not a confirmation.but yes the name is revealed by the mirror ,it maybe true it might not but i hope it is,because the bbc are just useless at giving infomation and they do all these splits all the time and keep changing it,i wonder who is in charge,because im fed up of splits just keep it all in the autumn and make another series in spring who ever is in charge is not up to high standards.i know lots are fed up with these splits.it is driving us mad

    • WE’RE VERY CROSS WITH YOU !

      August 16th, 2012 - 5:27pm

      by the way the mirror annouced it,so it may or might not be true.come on 1/9/12

  • Hector Sandler

    August 16th, 2012 - 10:49am

    Well knowing me I always say it will be great & Excellent

    Reply
  • Jason doctorwhoone

    August 16th, 2012 - 8:07am

    I have a theory about Asylum of the Daleks.

    According to episode Synopsis, the Daleks are too terrified to enter the Asylum, so then send the Doctor, Amy and Rory there instead, and it’s up to them to find a way out of it.

    Surely there has to be more too it then that that the synopsis is not telling us.

    I reakon that maybe, JUST MAYBE, that the Daleks have discovered Davros and the deranged remains of Dalek Caan have ended up inside the Asylum, using their own Emergency Temporal shift capability to escape the Crucible’s destruction back in Series 4, and the Daleks want the Doctor, Amy and Rory to find Davros and Dalek Caan out of the Asylum of the Koo-Koo Daleks, and once they find them and return to the Daleks with Davros and Dalek Caan, they Daleks then decide to exterminate the Doctor, Amy and Rory but they instead escape and Davros and Dalek Caan stay make future apperances, well, maybe not Caan, since he helped destroy the Daleks back in Series 4, but Davros could still be of use to them πŸ™‚

    Reply
    • the TARDIS

      August 16th, 2012 - 10:12am

      Well, as the Doctor himself said, there’s only one thing that the Daleks are afraid of.

    • Jason doctorwhoone

      August 16th, 2012 - 11:36am

      Well the Daleks are afraid of the Doctor, but I can’t see Daleks being afraid of themselves, and I doubt they are terrified of Davros and / or Dalek Caan. Davros to me doesn’t really look scary, just scarred and crippled, where as Dalek Caan was went totally Koo-Koo.

      I doubt thou if we will see Davros and / or Dalek Caan in this story πŸ™ . . . . but you never know πŸ˜€

  • crazy guy

    August 15th, 2012 - 8:32pm

    doctor who is going to be on my birthday it is September the 8Th

    Reply
    • Anonymous

      August 15th, 2012 - 8:49pm

      I thought it was 1st Setptember?

    • Give me a Dalek any day

      August 15th, 2012 - 9:19pm

      September 8th is the Australian date, I believe.

    • Sebatron

      August 21st, 2012 - 4:45am

      booboo can you confirm this

    • booboo

      August 21st, 2012 - 7:56am

      no date has been confirmed yet

    • crazy guy

      August 28th, 2012 - 4:30pm

      yea but the second episode is going to be on my birthday

  • crazy guy

    August 15th, 2012 - 8:31pm

    wow we are having a lot of new series news quite recently

    Reply
  • Jason doctorwhoone

    August 15th, 2012 - 6:14pm

    According to Doctor Who Online, Doctor Who – Series 7 begins Saturday 1st September 2012 πŸ˜€

    Reply
    • booboo

      August 15th, 2012 - 7:15pm

      Funny how fan sites appear to be able to announce it rather than the BBC who still have not confirmed it

  • doctor who

    August 15th, 2012 - 4:03pm

    i meant twist not wist

    Reply
    • doctor who

      August 15th, 2012 - 4:04pm

      comment above the bottom one

  • RORY DOCTOR RIVER POND

    August 15th, 2012 - 4:00pm

    sounds interesting…

    Reply
  • The Time Lord of Doom

    August 15th, 2012 - 3:41pm

    Very interesting indeed… Can’t wait! πŸ˜€

    Reply
  • John who

    August 15th, 2012 - 2:46pm

    Cant wait for this season

    Reply
  • Doctor Stu

    August 15th, 2012 - 12:37pm

    I Hope Amy and Rory dont split up!!!!!!

    Reply
    • Jason doctorwhoone

      August 15th, 2012 - 4:13pm

      They’d rather die then get split up.

  • Give me a Dalek any day

    August 15th, 2012 - 12:19pm

    The long wait is almost over! Soon, the Doctor will be back on our telly screens (:D), and then he’ll be off again (aw :(), then he’ll be back at Christmas (YAY!!), then he’ll be off again (aw :(), but then he’ll be back again next Spring (HOORAY!!! :D), but then he’ll go off again (aw :(), and then it’s the 50th Anniversary (YAY!!! πŸ˜€ πŸ˜€ :D).

    Reply
    • Anonymous

      August 15th, 2012 - 2:07pm

      It’s not next year spring, its next year in Feburary πŸ˜‰

    • owen

      August 15th, 2012 - 2:52pm

      ^^^^^^^

      πŸ˜€ Im glad In Febuary Since this Series Is late o3o

    • WE’RE VERY CROSS WITH YOU !

      August 15th, 2012 - 4:50pm

      im annoyed about all these splits.i hope series 8 will not be like this.but i hope it is february not spring

  • dr who

    August 15th, 2012 - 12:17pm

    i bet the gunslinger is some kind of bounty hunter or like judoon or something and Kahler-Jex is an alien criminal doctor maybe something like that.

    Reply
    • Boodleoo

      August 15th, 2012 - 12:40pm

      That reminds me of the book ghost of india.

  • Stewie

    August 15th, 2012 - 12:04pm

    brilliant

    Reply
  • the TARDIS

    August 15th, 2012 - 12:01pm

    Well, lets hope the long wait will be worth it! It looks like the new series is going to be brillian though. Here’s hoping…

    Reply
  • duckter who

    August 15th, 2012 - 11:38am

    Dalek Cann?

    Reply
    • booboo

      August 15th, 2012 - 11:42am

      Don’t know what it is but Radio times have said its nothing like the return of Davros etc etc

    • Sam

      August 15th, 2012 - 12:04pm

      What on earth are you two talking about? Lol

    • booboo

      August 15th, 2012 - 12:21pm

      the big surprise in this episode

    • dr who

      August 15th, 2012 - 12:24pm

      i think it maybe a mystery villian in episode one,i don’t think it is dalek caan but it is all part of the first question hidden in plain sight maybe a key villian that is part of it,another time lord like the master as he is mentioned in episode 3

    • Will Evans

      August 15th, 2012 - 1:06pm

      You can keep guessing but the twist is typical Moffat and is un-guessable. As he admitted under questioning last night (and as we all know) he does sometimes lie – and he admitted so do Daleks…..

    • booboo

      August 15th, 2012 - 1:13pm

      well i hope its all kept of the internet as i would like to go into this episode not knowing much about it

    • crazy guy

      August 15th, 2012 - 2:10pm

      perhaps it could be omega or the fact of the statue of liberty is a weeping angel. well i cant wait anyway this is going to be the best series of doctor who ever

    • dr who

      August 15th, 2012 - 3:53pm

      but i’ve heard we are introduced to a very important character[a villian?]who will or may play centre stage of the series 7 and 50th anniversary story arc and then also a plot twist,i also heard something about a scary woman,so maybe there’s also a plot twist and a new character[old time lord villian?]who will be part of the new storyline[the first question/return of the master??]i really cannot wait and i just hope it is the best dalek episode ever.please let i be good

    • doctor who

      August 15th, 2012 - 3:58pm

      i also heard that there is a plot twist and also a new character[villian,old timelord,the master?]introduced as a mystery and believee to play a mystery in the series,i also heard of a scary woman or someone[this maybe the mystery character]also the character was referenced as a mysterious genius and will play a part in the series finale and maybe the 50th anniversary

    • doctor who

      August 15th, 2012 - 3:59pm

      sorry to repeat twice .it froze and i though i lost it.

    • doctor who

      August 15th, 2012 - 4:03pm

      but i wonder what typical moffat wist is like because most of his twists have been based on river song/the doctor’s death and the silence/kovarian,i wonder what he is planning this time.

    • Anonymous

      August 15th, 2012 - 4:12pm

      i think the plot twist is this is IN the time war, hence all the bronze daleks, and dalek cann helps the doctor or something, because if you look carefully at one of the bbc’s pictures, a dalek seems 2 have a cult of skaro id tag, same with on the wallpapers

    • Jason doctorwhoone

      August 15th, 2012 - 4:15pm

      Dalek Caan’s dead, he got blown up on the Crucible .

      Still, least he had a laugh seeing the end of the Daleks in the Series 4 finale, HA HA HA HA HA HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA πŸ˜€

    • doctor who

      August 15th, 2012 - 4:18pm

      i never though of that well i thought the daleks could have escaped due to something big and bad but not that it is in the time war and that maybe why skaro is there,because skaro was locked in the time war and that would be really cool if it were as it would set the best series ever!!!!!!!!

    • doctor who

      August 15th, 2012 - 4:22pm

      well i think caan is dead yes,but to have the time war involved still would be great

    • Bigger on the Inside

      August 16th, 2012 - 5:04pm

      On the new pics there are two women on the shot of the tardis trio and the tardis in the middle of the daleks, so maybe it’s her?

    • booboo

      August 16th, 2012 - 5:05pm

      there are so many wild rumours going around its amazing

    • duckter who

      August 19th, 2012 - 6:54pm

      according to the new trailer, I seem to be right

  • CG

    August 15th, 2012 - 11:15am

    Great!

    Reply

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