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Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Blue Peter's Peter Purves regrets working on show as it ruined dream career
Before joining the long-running kids' show Blue Peter, Peter Purves had been a Doctor Who companion for the first Time Lord, William Hartnell Veteran TV star Peter Purves claims his biggest regret is taking a job as a presenter on the children's show Blue Peter. His revelation will shock fans because for 11 years spanning the 1960s and 1970s he was one of telly's most famous faces, fronting the tea-time series along with John Noakes, Valerie Singleton and Lesley Judd. Many regard this period as 'a golden era' in the show's long-running history. Jobbing actor Purves joined Blue Peter in 1967 after he had been given the chop from Doctor Who, also a hit BBC show at the time. He had played TARDIS companion Steven Taylor for two years on the sci-fi series, alongside original Time Lord William Hartnell. Prior to that he had landed parts in Z Cars, The Saint, Dixon of Dock Green and The Villains. But when the jobbing actor found himself out of work for a year after Doctor Who, and was offered the post as a Blue Peter presenter, he took it. However, he now regrets that decision and wishes he hadn't gone down that path, because he had always wanted to become a successful actor and blames it for taking his career in a different direction. Purves, who is now 86, said: 'Deep down I wish I'd not done Blue Peter. I wish I had been more successful as an actor. But I could not get the work. 'So I took the presenting jobs that came my way. I know it might sound silly but I fancied myself as a leading man. I hoped I was going to be a film star. That was my ambition.' After he left Blue Peter in 1978, Peter went on to host TV shows such as Stopwatch and Kick Start and then Crufts. Although these jobs took him away from his acting dreams he tells Doctor Who Magazine about his lengthy TV career: 'I've been lucky. I've had a full life.' In 1962, Peter married actress and playwright Gilly Fraser with whom he has son Matthew and daughter Lisa. The couple divorced in 1982 and he now lives in Suffolk with his second wife Kathryn Evans. In 2008 his Blue Peter co-host Valerie revealed she'd enjoyed a "brief fling" with Peter when he was "between marriages'. After leaving Blue Peter, where he was in charge of the programme's dog, Petra, he went on to present Kick Start, Stopwatch, and the BBC 's Crufts dog show, with which he had an association for 40 years. He said their decision to axe him in 2020, because of his age, had felt like "a kick in the stomach'.
Time of India
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Will Doctor Who get another season? Showrunner admits he isn't sure
Doctor Who is among BBC's longest-running series, starting all the way back in 1963. After an extended hiatus that lasted throughout the '90s, the series was relaunched to great success in 2005, and has been going strong ever since. However, the series has endured a slump in recent years, to the point that even the current showrunner is uncertain about where the show will go moving forward. In his regular column for the Doctor Who Magazine, showrunner Russell T Davies admitted that plans for continuing the series are still in flux, writing: "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." Davies had previously revealed that the recent episodes of Doctor Who had been cofinanced by Disney, and that he had hopes to produce the series on an annual basis. This pause in the series production was further corroborated in a report from Deadline, where a source embedded in the production stated: '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 Fifteenth Doctor's tenure ends with rampant speculation The Fifteenth Doctor, played by Ncuti Gatwa, ended his two-season run on 31st May, with 'The Reality War' concluding his story arc and ending with his regeneration. Following his exit, the episode ended with a cliffhanger appearance by Billie Piper, who's previously played the role of companion Rose Tyler on the show. The ambiguity surrounding the reveal has fueled heavy fan theorizing about whether or not Billie Piper will indeed take over as the new Doctor, something that the show's own marketing learned into while promoting the next Doctor Who Magazine. Billie Piper is... this month's #DoctorWho Magazine cover star!Get an inside look at the revelations of the Doctor Who: Season 2 finale - Subscribe and get each issue delivered direct to your door ➡️ While Billie Piper taking over as the Sixteenth Doctor would be an obvious conclusion to draw from 'The Reality War' episode's ending, a number of decisions both within the episode, and the show's past history, muddy the waters a bit. For instance, the episode credits call both Ncuti Gatwa and Jodie Whittaker the Doctor, but not Billie Piper herself. Furthermore, the series has broken from its conventional regeneration process in the past, notably with the Fifteenth Doctor Himself, who originally coexisted with David Tennant's Fourteenth Doctor thanks to the plot device of bigeneration. Most importantly, however, the recent production struggles and impending hiatus of the series mean that no production plans are set in stone as of yet, so there's no telling what form Doctor Who will take when it finally makes a return.
Gizmodo
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
Russell T Davies Is Remaining Vague About the Future of ‘Doctor Who'
As Doctor Who's ongoing future remains in flux (no, not that flux), fans remain waiting to hear for any sign that news on the security of that future is on the way. Well, in its latest development, there's good news and bad news: but in the middle of that is the fact that all of this still remains so vague that you're free to take it however you want. Writing in the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine in his monthly production column (via Cultbox), showrunner Russell T Davies confirmed that he would be stepping away from writing the column going forward, while the future of the Doctor Who remained unsettled. Davies had used the monthly column to tease upcoming storylines and offer fans insight onto where he was at currently on scriptwriting or planning for future seasons. Now that will no longer be the case. 'We don't know what's happening yet and while everyone works that out, I'll take a pause on this page,' Davies wrote. 'Thanks for reading! And thanks to DWM, a delight to work with you on this wonderful magazine. Hopefully, we'll have news soon, and certainly, The War Between the Land and the Sea is about to break out, so there are great things ahead.' The fact that Davies won't regularly be discussing the show in the magazine—or having much to say in his column on War Between the Land and the Sea, the one definitive piece of Doctor Who material we know is hitting TV for the foreseeable future—might be cause for concern in terms of getting news about Doctor Who's renewal any time soon. But the showrunner remained optimistic, albeit vague, that it will come back… at some point. 'No, not the end, don't be mad. Doctor Who will never end! There are pathways leading to potential futures,' Davies continued. 'We've still got the mystery of that bright and blazing ending, 'Oh, hello,' yes indeed, hello Billie! And there's Susan, of course. I wonder if we'll ever find out who the Boss is. Or who the Boss are.' Regardless, the state of Doctor Who's future outside of the aforementioned War Between the Land and the Sea (and the BBC's recent news that it was in the early stages of development on an animated Doctor Who series distinctly separate from the primary show for young children) remains as up in the air now, as it did the weekend its latest season came to a confounding, controversial end. Whether or not fans will be able to hold out hope beyond Davies' platitudes remains to be seen.
Daily Mirror
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Doctor Who's Wish World episode ending finally explained
SPOILER ALERT: For the upcoming series finale Doctor Who will have its die hard fans gripped to their seats so here we take a look at what the ending of the episode really means Viewers are now finally able to understand the ending of the Wish World episode. According to the Radio Times, the Rani created the Wish World with the help of Conrad and the god Desiderium, so the Doctor, played by Ncuti Gatwa, could crush it's reality using the power behind his doubts. And in turn, this would then allow the Rani to see Omega, the BBC sci-fi show's classic villain. As the episode drew to a close, the Rani is seen disassembling the Wish World's London, sending the Doctor descending off the edge of the universe. Throughout the show's history, viewers were led to believe that the Rani and the Doctor were enemies but it looks as though there is an additional dimension to their fraught relationship. In the episode the Rani informs the Doctor: "People said we were lovers – can you remember if that's true? Far away in time and space… were we?" She added: "The tragedy is, we were never enemies – every villain you've ever fought wanted death, I only wanted life, remember?" As Doctor Who is falling from the edge of the universe, he desperately attempts to reason with the Rani, telling her that he is a father to Poppy. He insists that she is real and adds: "Don't you know what that means?" Fans of the popular BBC sci-fi drama believe that the Rani created Poppy by using the Doctor's DNA and that of a human to create a human and Time Lord hybrid. Speaking about the final episode of the series, showrunner Russell T Davies teased fans with what to expect during his interview with Doctor Who Magazine. He said: "There are big surprises, from the Doctor and for the Doctor. Some of it shakes up the lore of Gallifrey. Some of it recontextualizes the Doctor, the Rani, and their relationship." It has also been suggested that Poppy is Susan's mother. The theory, according to the Radio Times, was brought about from The Devils Chord episode from the previous season. In that episode, the Doctor reportedly mentioned Susan but claimed that he didn't have children at the time but used the word "yet".. The publication has now posed the question that Susan is Poppy's child from the future and was then sent back in time.
Edinburgh Live
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
Doctor Who fans think one iconic actor will replace Ncuti Gatwa in next series
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Doctor Who fans are already speculating on who could step into the Tardis next after it was suggested Ncuti Gatwa may depart the beloved series after the current run. It had been rumoured the series could be cancelled if Disney pulls the plug on its co-production deal, but Russell T Davies has expressed his unwavering belief in the show's longevity. The beloved sci-fi programme is set to take a break until at least 2027 for filming. But in a chat with Doctor Who Magazine, Davies optimistically stated: "I am confident. Doctor Who is forever, and the future is bright!". As the show takes a pause next year, fans will instead be treated to the spin-off show The War Between the Land and the Sea, starring Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw. But dedicated viewers are already guessing who they think could be in line for the leading role once Doctor Who returns for the 16th revived series. When it first launched in the 1960s, and in its subsequent 20-year run before initially being cancelled, Doctor Who held a special place in viewers' hearts. It made an explosive comeback in 2005 with Christopher Eccleston steering the Tardis, joined by Billie Piper playing his companion, Rose, who continued her journey with David Tennant's Doctor. Speculation is now rife that Piper could be regenerating as the show's protagonist. (Image:) With the internet abuzz over the unconfirmed rumours, eager fans have taken to social platforms to voice their predictions. One excited fan, posting on an undisclosed platform, exclaimed: "Billie Piper as the 16th doctor with Ncuti Gatwa as her companion @bbecdoctorwho put me in the writers room now." On Reddit, Whovians have been buzzing with speculation about the next Time Lord, with one user posing the question: "If the rumours are true, and Billie Piper is the 16th Doctor, how would you feel?" The discussion continued: "Has anyone else seen the wild rumours floating around that Billie Piper might be cast as the 16th Doctor? As much as I'm struggling to believe it, if it does turn out to be true, how would everyone feel? Personally, I wouldn't be on board with the idea at all, in fact I would hate it. "Casting Billie Piper would feel like yet another gimmick, much like bringing back David Tennant did. The role of the Doctor should be treated with more care than just trying to generate the biggest online buzz. "Personally, I'd love to see Varada Sethu or Suranne Jones take on the role." Another Redditor chimed in, adding: "If she did come back, I'd still just see her as Rose. Rose was such a key part of why the revival was successful I think it'd diminish the character bringing back Billie as 16." However, someone else disagreed: "Billie can act thought. I think her Doctor would be different from Rose plus she's 20 years older now." One commenter expressed resignation: "I wouldn't like it, but I wouldn't be surprised at this point." Another said: "I'd probably watch it just because its Billie. She was why I started watching in the first place. Love that lady." Another one said: "I'd be delighted. I doubt very much that she will be though." Another enthusiastic fan chimed in: "I would feel very good about it. Billie is a fantastic actress." One has been left undecided about how they feel, and shared: "A couple of years ago, I'd definitely have loved it. I'd actually already thought about it myself, but since we only just had DT [David Tennant] return, I'm in two minds. I'd have to see how it all played out."
