**AUGUST 28th UPDATE **
*STAGE & SCREEN STAR NIGEL PLANER JOINS CAST TO PLAY EXCLUSIVE CHARACTER VORGENSON – THE ‘GREATEST SHOWMAN IN THE GALAXY’
*VOICE OF DALEKS AND CYBERMEN, NICK BRIGGS CONFIRMED TO PLAY WINSTON CHURCHILL
*MASTER ILLUSIONISTS ‘THE TWINS’ TO OVERSEE A SERIES OF INCREDIBLE ILLUSIONS
*STORYLINE DETAILS REVEALED
BBC Worldwide has today announced that Nigel Planer (The Young Ones, We Will Rock You, Evita, Chicago) will be joining the cast for the forthcoming audio/visual spectacular – Doctor Who Live.
Planer will play the part of Vorgenson, a character exclusively adapted for the tour by the television programme’s Executive Producer and Lead Writer Steven Moffat. The new character is described as an ‘inter-galactic showman’ who is the Doctor’s biggest fan.
Nigel Planer comments: “I’m incredibly excited to be joining Doctor Who Live and this role is something of a boyhood dream come true. My character Vorgenson, who has been developed specially for the show by Steven Moffat, is the Greatest Showman in the Galaxy and using his incredible invention, ‘The Minimiser’, he can make any Doctor Who character appear on stage as part of his traveling show dedicated to his hero. This live tour brings all the magic of the TV show together with a host of incredible effects. I hope that I can survive visiting nine cities in October sharing a stage with eleven Doctor Who Monsters and a flying Dalek in tow!”
Craig Stanley, Doctor Who Live’s Producer says: “This show has something for everyone – Doctor Who fans, of course – but also anyone with a love of incredible illusions, immersive storytelling, magical music, scary monsters, and intergalactic heroes.”
In a further announcement, the producers have revealed that Nick Briggs, famous for voicing some of the scariest Doctor Who monsters including the Daleks and Cybermen, is onboard to replicate his voice talents live on stage every night. Briggs will also portray Winston Churchill, who is summoned by Vorgenson through his Minimiser.
Doctor Who Live will also feature a spectacular array of stunts and illusions designed by Britain’s premiere illusionists, The Twins. Audiences will be in for a treat as they witness a flying Dalek. The Twins have come to prominence in the last few years by designing the illusion of flying without wires, and they have a reputation for large scale stunts including making an elephant disappear live on stage. They have taught magic tricks to the likes of Brad Pitt and Gwyneth Paltrow.
NATIONAL ARENA TOUR DATES ANNOUNCED: 8TH OCTOBER – 7TH NOVEMBER 2010
BBC Worldwide has announced a series of arena dates for the very first production of Doctor Who Live.
The new stage show, based upon the BBC?s smash-hit, award-winning series Doctor Who, promises to deliver a spectacular audio/visual experience featuring live music, special effects and appearances from the show?s most popular monsters.
Taking in nine cities and 25 dates, Doctor Who Live kicks off in London at Wembley Arena on 8th October, and will visit Sheffield, Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester, Nottingham, Cardiff and Liverpool, culminating in Belfast on the 7th November.
Developed in association with Doctor Who?s Executive Producer and show runner, Steven Moffat, Doctor Who Live promises the same excitement, adventure and suspense that viewers have come to expect from the TV programme and will feature specially filmed new video scenes.
Steven Moffat said: “This is everything I ever wanted since I was eleven. A live show, with all the coolest Doctor Who monsters, a proper story, and brand new screen material for Matt Smith’s Doctor! I’ll be writing scenes for it, and probably attending every single night!”
Opening in wartime London and concluding in an epic onstage battle, audiences should expect the unexpected as the The Doctor?s arch-enemies the Daleks are joined by some of the best-loved and most terrifying monsters from the TV series including the Cybermen, Weeping Angels, Judoon and Oods to name but a few.
With an out-of-this-world set, Doctor Who Live will feature special FX, optical illusions and spectacular pyrotechnics building to an epic finale. Specially edited video clips, drawn from the TV Programme will be shown on a massive screen and accompanied by the music of longtime Doctor Who composer Murray Gold. These iconic scores will be brought to life by a 16 piece orchestra live on stage.
Murray Gold said: “The live element always adds something extra, but these will also be brand new arrangements for a new band of very talented musicians. It’s very exciting.”
Doctor Who Live has been conceived as a fully immersive music and monsters spectacular. Please note that actors from the TV series will not be appearing live on stage.
DOCTOR WHO LIVE TOUR DATES 2010
| DATES | LOCATION | VENUE |
| 8th, 9th and 10th October | London | Wembley Arena |
| 12th and 13th October | Sheffield | Sheffield Arena |
| 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th October | Glasgow | Glasgow SECC |
| 18th, 19th and 20th October | Birmingham | Birmingham NIA |
| 22nd, 23rd and 24th October | Manchester | Manchester Evening News Arena |
| 25th and 26th October | Nottingham | Nottingham Trent FM Arena |
| 28th, 29th, 30th, 31st October | Cardiff | Cardiff International Arena |
| 2nd, 3rd November | Liverpool | Liverpool Echo Arena |
| 6th and 7th November | Belfast | Belfast Odyssey Arena |
Tickets go on sale at 9am on Friday 21st May 2010.
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets are priced at ?38.50, ?34.50 and ?25.00 subject to booking fees
Belfast Odyssey Arena only
Tickets are priced at ?42.50, ?37.50 & ?27.50 and may be subject to service charges
Please note that for Belfast Odyssey Arena, the ticket prices are higher as booking fees and agency commissions are included in the ticket price – this is standard practice for shows in Northern Ireland.
Ticketmaster 24 hour ticket hotline 0844 847 1963
www.Doctorwholive.com
