Doctor Who Confidential
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Doctor Who Confidential is a documentary series created by the British Broadcasting Corporation to complement the revival of the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Each episode is broadcast on BBC Three on Saturdays, immediately after the broadcast of the weekly television episode on BBC One. The running time of the first two series was 30 minutes, being extended to 45 minutes in the third.[1]
Described as focusing on the human element of the series, Confidential features behind-the-scenes footage on the making of Doctor Who through clips and interviews with the cast, production crew and other people, including those who have participated in the television series over the years of its existence. Each episode deals with a different topic, and in most cases refers to the Doctor Who episode that preceded it.
Contents |
[edit] Series 1 (2005)
The first season was narrated by Simon Pegg and produced and directed by Gillane Seaborne, airing at 7.45pm. In addition to being broadcast on BBC Three, each episode of Confidential was also made available for viewing on the Doctor Who Confidential website. Initially, repeat airings of the series were the full length episodes; however, beginning with Episode 6, BBC Three broadcast fifteen-minute versions, entitled Doctor Who Confidential: Cut Down, containing only the new series-related footage. These more easily clearable versions — since they contained no old series clips or pop music tracks, there were few licensing issues to overcome for commercial release — were released on the Series 1 DVD box set. There are no plans to release the full versions of the episodes in any format.
| Episode # | Original Air Date (UK) | Episode Title | Doctor Who Episode | Webcast link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 March 2005 | Bringing Back the Doctor | Rose | link |
| 2 | 2 April 2005 | The Good, the Bad and the Ugly | The End of the World | link |
| 3 | 9 April 2005 | TARDIS Tales | The Unquiet Dead | link |
| 4 | 16 April 2005 | I Get a Side-Kick Out of You | Aliens of London | link |
| 5 | 23 April 2005 | Why on Earth? | World War Three | link |
| 6 | 30 April 2005 | Dalek | Dalek | link |
| 7 | 7 May 2005 | The Dark Side | The Long Game | link |
| 8 | 14 May 2005 | Time Trouble | Father's Day | link |
| 9 | 21 May 2005[2] | Special Effects | The Empty Child | link |
| 10 | 28 May 2005 | Weird Science | The Doctor Dances | link |
| 11 | 4 June 2005 | Unsung Heroes and Violent Death | Boom Town | link |
| 12 | 11 June 2005 | The World of Who | Bad Wolf | link |
| 13 | 18 June 2005 | The Last Battle | The Parting of the Ways | link |
Two documentary specials were made for broadcast on BBC One, incorporating material from the Confidential episodes. The first was broadcast on the evening of the first episode, Rose, and was narrated by David Tennant, prior to his being named as the Tenth Doctor. The second was broadcast immediately prior to the final episode, The Parting of the Ways, and was narrated by Pegg. These episodes were not given the Confidential title, and are therefore separate from the series proper. Thirdly, a special DVD-only episode of the series, containing behind-the-scenes information on The Christmas Invasion, was also made by the production team for release on the set.
| Episode # | Original Air Date (UK) | Episode Title | Doctor Who Episode |
|---|---|---|---|
| S1 | March 26, 2005 | A New Dimension | Preview |
| S2 | June 18, 2005 | The Ultimate Guide | Episodes 1-12 |
| 14 | none, DVD only | Backstage at Christmas | The Christmas Invasion |
[edit] Series 2 (2006)
A second season of Doctor Who Confidential was commissioned to accompany the 2006 series. Mark Gatiss replaced Pegg as narrator. A special episode of the programme was produced for BBC's Doctor Who Night on April 9, 2006. Due to a wide range of schedule changes that either delayed or altered transmission of Doctor Who, the series aired at various times during its run. Unlike the first series, no episodes were webcast. These were also released on the DVD in edited-down format (once again subtitled Cut Down); the first episode of the season - "One Year On" - was not released to DVD.
| Episode # | Original Air Date (UK) | Time | Episode Title | Doctor Who Episode |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 9 April 2006 | 19:00 | One Year On[3] | N/A |
| 16 | 15 April 2006 | 20:00 | New New Doctor | New Earth |
| 17 | 22 April 2006 | 20:00 | Fear Factor | Tooth and Claw |
| 18 | 29 April 2006 | 20:05 | Friends Reunited | School Reunion |
| 19 | 6 May 2006 | 19:45 | From Script to Screen | The Girl in the Fireplace |
| 20 | 13 May 2006 | 20:05 | Cybermen | Rise of the Cybermen |
| 21 | 20 May 2006 | 19:25 | From Zero to Hero | The Age of Steel |
| 22 | 27 May 2006 | 19:45 | The Writer's Tale | The Idiot's Lantern |
| 23 | 3 June 2006 | 19:45 | You've Got the Look | The Impossible Planet |
| 24 | 10 June 2006 | 19:45 | Myths and Legends | The Satan Pit |
| 25 | 17 June 2006 | 19:45 | New World of Who[4] | Love & Monsters |
| 26 | 24 June 2006 | 19:45 | The Fright Stuff | Fear Her |
| 27 | 1 July 2006 | 19:45 | Welcome to Torchwood | Army of Ghosts |
| 28 | 8 July 2006 | 19:45 | Finale | Doomsday |
[edit] Series 3 (2007)
A documentary special was made for broadcast on BBC One on the day of the 2006 Christmas Special, The Runaway Bride. The special was broadcast with the Confidential title (albeit with "Christmas Special" attached), opening theme, and unique titles (with images from The Runaway Bride) - it was narrated the series three narrator, Anthony Head, and followed the creation of the Doctor Who: A Celebration concert. This is noteworthy as being unrelated to its companion episode - although a brief preview of the episode appeared as part of the concert. It is also notable as being the only Confidential episode to appear on one of the 'vanilla' DVD releases.
| Episode # | Original Air Date (UK) | Time | Episode Title | Doctor Who Episode |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | 25 December 2006 | 13:00 | Music and Monsters | Doctor Who: A Celebration |
Anthony Head (who played Mr Finch/Brother Lassar in School Reunion) replaces Gatiss as narrator for this series, whilst David Tennant will do the entirety of the series' tenth episode himself[citation needed]. The episode running length was increased to 45 minutes, with 30-minute and 15-minute versions also prepared for broadcast.[1]
| Episode # | Original Air Date (UK) | Time | Episode Title | Doctor Who Episode |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | 31 March 2007 | 19:45 | Meet Martha Jones | Smith and Jones |
| 31 | 7 April 2007 | 19:45 | Stage Fright | The Shakespeare Code |
| 32 | 14 April 2007 | 19:45 | Are We There Yet? | Gridlock |
| 33 | 21 April 2007 | 19:45 | New York Story | Daleks in Manhattan |
| 34 | 28 April 2007 | 19:45 | Making Manhattan | Evolution of the Daleks |
| 35 | 5 May 2007 | 19:45 | Monsters Inc. | The Lazarus Experiment |
[edit] Torchwood Declassified (2006-7)
Continuing the Confidential tradition, Doctor Who spinoff Torchwood has its own set of backstage episodes, entitled "Torchwood Declassified"; each episode is 10 minutes long, and is available on the BBC Torchwood website. [5]
[edit] External links
- Doctor Who Confidential website
- Doctor Who Confidential at the Internet Movie Database
- Trailer for the first series
- Doctor Who Confidential theme music
- Music and Monsters production diary
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Doctor Who Confidential now 45 minutes", Doctor Who Magazine #380. Retrieved on February 28, 2007.
- ^ Episode 9 aired at 7.15pm, due to the early scheduling of The Empty Child
- ^ One hour special
- ^ Followed by a repeat of Friends Reunited
- ^ Torchwood Website
