Doctor Who Confidential

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''Doctor Who Confidential'' is a documentary series created by the

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(BBC) to complement the revival of the long-running British

science fiction television Science fiction first appeared in television programming in the late 1930s, during what is called the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary ...

series ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the ...

''. Each episode was broadcast on

BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes targeting 16 to 34-year-olds, covering all genres including animation, comedy, cur ...

on Saturdays, immediately after the broadcast of the weekly television episode on

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

. The first and second series episodes ran 30 minutes each; third series instalments ran 45 minutes. BBC Three also broadcast a cut-down edition of the programme, lasting 15 minutes, shown after the repeats on Sundays and Fridays and after the weekday evening repeats of earlier seasons. ''Confidential'' received its own version of the

Doctor Who theme tune The ''Doctor Who'' theme music is a piece of music written by Australian composer Ron Grainer and realised by Delia Derbyshire at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Created in 1963, it was one of the first electronic music signature tunes for tele ...

, at least three different versions of the theme appeared in the series. In September 2011, the BBC announced the cancellation of the series as a cost-cutting measure. Fans attempted to reverse the decision using an online petition. The decision was criticised by writers for the show and the incumbent Doctor,

Matt Smith Matthew Robert Smith (born 28 October 1982) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as the eleventh incarnation of the Doctor in the BBC series '' Doctor Who'' (2010–2013), Daemon Targaryen in the HBO series ''House of the Dr ...

. In February 2013, ''Doctor Who Confidential'' was voted the best BBC Three show of all time in a ''

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' (currently styled as ''RadioTimes'') is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves ...

'' poll on their website.

Synopsis

The series is 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. There have also been several episodes of ''Doctor Who Confidential'' broadcast apart from the showing of ''Doctor Who'' episodes.

Narrators

David Tennant David John Tennant (''né'' McDonald; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He rose to fame for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor (2005–2010 and 2013) in the BBC science-fiction TV show ''Doctor Who'', reprising the rol ...

(series 1, episode "New Dimension" only.) *

Simon Pegg Simon John Pegg (né Beckingham; born 14 February 1970) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. He came to prominence in the UK as the co-creator of the Channel 4 sitcom ''Spaced'' (1999–2001), directed by Edgar Wright. H ...

(series 1) *

Mark Gatiss Mark Gatiss (; born 17 October 1966) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, director, producer and novelist. His work includes writing for and acting in the television series '' Doctor Who'', '' Sherlock'', and '' Dracula''. Together with ...

(series 2) *

Anthony Head Anthony Stewart Head (born 20 February 1954) is an English actor and singer. Primarily a performer in musical theatre, he rose to fame in the UK in the 1980s following his role in the Gold Blend couple television advertisements for Nescafé, w ...

(series 3, 4, 2009–2010 specials) *

Noel Clarke Noel Anthony Clarke (born 6 December 1975) is a British actor, screenwriter, director, and comic book writer. Rising to prominence for playing Mickey Smith in '' Doctor Who'' (2005–2010), he played Sam in the films '' Kidulthood'' (2006), '' ...

(2009–2010 specials, episode "Desert Storm" only.) *

Alex Price Alex Price (born 8 May 1985) is a British actor who has appeared in various television programmes including '' Being Human'', ''Merlin'' and ''Doctor Who''. He starred in feature-length films, such as ''A Horse with No Name'', and in a variety ...

(series 5) * Russell Tovey (series 6) "Greatest Moments", the "2010 specials", and "My Sarah Jane" primarily consisted of interviews and clips from the series featuring no primary host.

Episodes

Series overview

The following table dictates the season or series in question; singular specials are not included in episode counts. Not all networks listed aired every episode, a number of them only broadcast specific specials.

Series 1 (2005)

The first season was narrated by

(who played the Editor in " The Long Game") and produced and directed by Gillane Seaborne, airing at 7.45 pm. New episodes were broadcast on BBC Three immediately following the broadcast of ''Doctor Who'', 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 A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be ...

", and was narrated by

, prior to his being named as the

Tenth Doctor The Tenth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the main protagonist of the BBC science fiction television franchise ''Doctor Who''. He is played by David Tennant in three series as well as nine specials. As with previous incarnations of ...

. The second was broadcast immediately prior to the final episode, "

The Parting of the Ways "The Parting of the Ways" is the thirteenth episode and the season finale of the revived first series of the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. The episode was first broadcast on BBC One on 18 June 2005. It was the se ...

", 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.

Series 2 (2006)

A second season of ''Doctor Who Confidential'' was commissioned to accompany the 2006 series.

replaced Pegg as narrator. Episodes continued to be broadcast on BBC Three along with a documentary special that was made for broadcast on BBC One on the day of the 2006 Christmas Special.

Series 3 (2007)

(who played Mr Finch/Brother Lassar in " School Reunion") replaced Gatiss as narrator for this series, whilst David Tennant did the entirety of the series' eleventh episode himself. The episode running length was increased to 45 minutes. A 30-minute special was shown as part of the BBC's arts' season, it was narrated by

Tom Baker Thomas Stewart Baker (born 20 January 1934) is an English actor and writer. He is well known for his portrayal of the fourth incarnation of the Doctor in the science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' from 1974 to 1981.Scott, Danny. (1 ...

. After the 2007 Christmas Special, an episode was broadcast on BBC Three, again narrated by Anthony Head.

Series 4 (2008)

Anthony Head narrated the series for the second year in a row.''

Doctor Who Magazine ''Doctor Who Magazine'' (abbreviated as ''DWM'') is a magazine devoted to the long-running British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who''. Launched in 1979 as ''Doctor Who Weekly'', the magazine became a monthly publication the follo ...

''; issue 394, page 15. "Doctor Who Confidential counts down to the new series". Each episode had its own unique title sequence, with behind-the-scenes shots from that week's episode of ''Doctor Who''. The 2008 Christmas special was the first to be accompanied by its own ''Confidential'' episode. The final episode reviewed all 10 previous incarnations of the Doctor, and exclusively revealed

as the actor who would portray the then-upcoming

Eleventh Doctor The Eleventh Doctor is an incarnation of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC Science fiction on television, science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. He is played by Matt Smith in three series as well as fi ...

. A special episode of ''Confidential'', going behind the scenes at the proms, was available by red button on 1 January 2009.

Specials (2009–2010)

The first ''Confidential'' edition attached to the 2009 specials, covering " Planet of the Dead", was narrated by

, although Anthony Head returned to narrate "Is There Life on Mars?". This special featured improved graphics in its opening and closing credits sequences. Head continued to narrate the Christmas and New Year specials.

Greatest Moments (2009)

Series 5 (2010)

is the narrator for this series.

Specials (2010)

My Sarah Jane: A Tribute to Elisabeth Sladen (2011)

Series 6 (2011)

A new series of ''Confidential'' started broadcasting on 23 April 2011 with a brand new title sequence. Russell Tovey continued to narrate the episodes. The final episode, which aired on 1 October 2011, incorporated a mini-episode, ''Death is the Only Answer'', written by a group of schoolchildren who won a contest co-sponsored by ''Confidential''.

Broadcast

Series 1–2

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 were released on the Series 1 DVD box set. There are no plans to release the full versions of the episodes in any format. For series two, a special episode of the programme was produced for BBC's ''Doctor Who Night'' on 9 April 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. A documentary special that was made for broadcast on BBC One on the day of " 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") and followed the creation of the ''Doctor Who: A Celebration'' concert.

Series 3–4, and the 2009–2010 specials

The episode running length was increased to 45 minutes for the third series, with 30-minute and 15-minute versions also prepared for broadcast. The 15-minute versions were available for download from the official website. As per previous seasons, all regular episodes were edited down into shorter versions for inclusion on the DVD release; for the first time, however, a complete ''Confidential'' episode was included on the DVD release: the "Music & Monsters" special. One episode, covering the making of the Children in Need special " Time Crash" was posted on the Children in Need website after the scene's airing. A 30-minute special, created by the Confidential team, was shown as part of the BBC's arts' season, entitled "On Show - Designs on Doctor Who", was first broadcast on BBC Two Wales. After "

Voyage of the Damned ''Voyage of the Damned'' is a 1976 drama film directed by Stuart Rosenberg, with an all-star cast featuring Faye Dunaway, Oskar Werner, Lee Grant, Max von Sydow, James Mason, and Malcolm McDowell. The story was inspired by actual events co ...

", an episode was broadcast on BBC Three. The 2008–10 specials were the first ''Confidential'' editions to be broadcast on

BBC HD BBC HD was a 24-hour high-definition television channel provided by the BBC. The service was initially run as a trial from 15 May 2006 until becoming a full service on 1 December 2007 before its discontinuation on 26 March 2013. It broadcast ...

as well as BBC Three. The series also made a move to a high definition format. The full episodes of ''Confidential'' relating to the 2008–10 specials are available for immediate broadcast through

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming and rental service of Amazon offered as a standalone service or as part of Amazon's Prime subscription. The service pr ...

in the United States with an

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subscription. These are the only full episodes of ''Confidential'' legally available for

video-on-demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos without a traditional video playback device and the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of ...

streaming. A 30-minute "best moments" feature was included on the DVD release of the Cybermen Collection.

Series 5–6, the 2010 specials, and the My Sarah Jane special

Episodes continued to be broadcast on BBC Three and BBC HD for series five and six. Similar to previous series, versions of the episodes entitled ''Cut Down'' were released on the DVD sets however, the full episode of ''Confidential'' relating to

A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. ''A Christmas ...

was released instead. Two specials were created between series five and six, on which was made specifically for broadcast on BBC America. A third special commemorating the death of

Elisabeth Sladen Elisabeth Clara Heath-Sladen (1 February 1946 – 19 April 2011) was an English actress. She became best known as Sarah Jane Smith in the British television series ''Doctor Who'', appearing as a regular cast member from 1973 to 1976, alongside ...

was produced by the ''Confidential'' team as well and was aired on CBBC.

Cancellation

On 28 September 2011, a few days prior to the broadcast of the ''Confidential'' episode to accompany season 6 finale "The Wedding of River Song", BBC controller Zai Bennett announced the cancellation of the series as a cost-cutting measure. Within 24 hours of the show being officially cancelled, pages on both

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and

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were established in an attempt to save it, both with links to an online

petition A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer called supplication. In the colloquial sense, a petition is a document addressed to some offi ...

that gained over 20,000 signatures within the same period, and eventually garnered over 50,000. People involved with the show such as writers

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon GaimanBorn as Neil Richard Gaiman, with "MacKinnon" added on the occasion of his marriage to Amanda Palmer. ; ( Neil Richard Gaiman; born 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, gra ...

The Doctor's Wife "The Doctor's Wife" is the fourth episode of the sixth series of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was broadcast on 14 May 2011 in the United Kingdom, and later the same day in the United States. It was writt ...

") and

Tom MacRae Tom MacRae (born 6 August 1977) is an English television writer, author, playwright, lyricist, television producer, and screenwriter. He is best known as the creator of the television series ''Threesome'' and the book writer and lyricist of the ...

The Girl Who Waited "The Girl Who Waited" is the tenth episode of the sixth series of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', and was first broadcast on BBC One and BBC America on 10 September 2011. It was written by Tom MacRae and was directe ...

") expressed their concern with the axing of the programme, as did lead actor Matt Smith.

Online featurettes

In 2012, seventh series executive producer Caroline Skinner announced that smaller behind-the-scenes featurettes would be released on the BBC's ''Doctor Who'' website to make up for ''Confidential'' cancellation. The majority of these featurettes last for less than 5 minutes.

Series 7 (2012–2013)

Specials (2013)

Post-cancellation

On 20 August 2014, it was announced that a series of 10-minute behind-the-scenes featurettes would accompany the twelve episodes of the eighth series, under the title of ''

Doctor Who Extra ''Doctor Who Extra'' is a documentary series created by the BBC as a complement to the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Series 1 and " Last Christmas" were made for release on BBC iPlayer on Saturdays, imme ...

''. These featurettes were made available on the BBC's

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and

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services.

Other shows in ''Confidential'' format

Following the popularity of ''Doctor Who Confidential'', ''Doctor Who'' spin-off ''

Torchwood ''Torchwood'' is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. A spin-off of the 2005 revival of ''Doctor Who'', it aired from 2006 to 2011. The show shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growin ...

'' was produced with its own set of backstage documentaries entitled '' Torchwood Declassified''. The BBC also broadcast '' Heroes Unmasked'' in the same format, narrated by Anthony Head, to complement the NBC series '' Heroes'' on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream a ...

, and ''Greek Uncovered'', narrated by Fearne Cotton, for the

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'' when it was shown on BBC Three. The

BBC Radio 7 BBC Radio 4 Extra (formerly BBC Radio 7) is a British Digital radio in the United Kingdom, digital radio broadcasting, radio station from the BBC, broadcasting archived repeats of comedy, drama and documentary programmes nationally, 24 hours a ...

broadcasts of Big Finish ''Doctor Who'' audio dramas are followed by a 15-minute backstage programme called ''Beyond the Vortex''.

References

External links

* * * * {{Doctor Who 2000s British documentary television series 2005 British television series debuts 2010s British documentary television series 2011 British television series endings Aftershows BBC Television shows Doctor Who spin-offs English-language television shows Works about Doctor Who