Karen Gillan has hailed the story arc and finalé of her first series of Doctor Who.

The actress, who plays new companion Amy Pond in Matt Smith’s opening year as The Doctor, told Heat that there is much to expect from the show when it returns on April 3.

Gillan said: “It’s a rollercoaster of completely scary moments and monsters and things. Then there are moments of love and joy. It’s also incredibly funny. It pushes all the buttons.

“It’s like a sick fairytale, in terms of the way it’s been written and the way it looks. There’s an interesting arc to the story that builds up to an amazing climax.”

When quizzed about the controversy caused when The Doctor expressed disappointment that he was still not a redhead after his regeneration, she added: “I couldn’t quite believe how much trouble that sparked!

“I mean, The Doctor wants to be ginger. He was bigging up the gingers! He wasn’t being gingerist.”

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Matt Smith has claimed that he was always aware of Doctor Who, despite being born in a generation that didn’t have the show on TV.

The Eleventh Doctor told AOL TV that the programme is ingrained in the fabric of the UK.

Smith said: “I was part of the generation that had the barren spell, where children didn’t have Doctor Who.

“It wasn’t on TV when I was growing up, but it is so ingrained in our fibre in this country it’s impossible not to know something about it.”

When asked who his favorite Doctor was, he added: “I’m a particular fan of Patrick Troughton, although once you get involved like I have, it all becomes one, I think. I’m constantly in awe of all [of] them.

“I know it’s a cliché, but I can’t believe this is work. It never gets dull because each month there are new characters and actors coming in.

“In terms of emulating any of the past Doctors, I don’t think that’s something you can try to do or think about.”

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Fans of Doctor Who will be able to catch exclusive footage of the latest series when a roadshow visits the Swansea Big Screen over Easter.

The BBC roadshow lands at the Big Screen in Castle Square on Thursday, 1 April.

The Easter weekend extravaganza which will run until Saturday, 3 April from 1100 until 1600 GMT.

Fans will be able to see exclusive footage from the new series starring Matt Smith as the 11th doctor.

There will be the chance to see the Doctor Who trailer in 3D and fans can also get their photo taken tumbling through the giant vortex.

Visitors will be able to meet some of the scariest monsters that have had viewers watching from behind their sofa for generations as well.

The first TV show featuring the new Doctor Who is screened on Easter Saturday.

Cutting-edge fun

Graham Thomas, Swansea Council’s cabinet member for culture, recreation and tourism, said: “Swansea has close links with Doctor Who and I’m sure people will make the most of this opportunity to catch the latest trailer on Castle Square’s Big Screen and take part in the other fun activities.

“The programme has the ability to spark the imagination of people of all ages and millions of fans across the UK will be looking forward to the new series.

“This is another example of how the Big Screen is continually bringing cutting-edge fun and excitement to Swansea city centre.”

Similar Big Screen Doctor Who events are being held in London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Plymouth.

Before they take place, the new doctor Matt Smith will go on a nationwide tour with his companion Karen Gillan.

They will travel to Belfast on the 29 March, and then go to her home town, Inverness, for a screening on 30 March.

The bus will then move on to Sunderland that afternoon and Salford on Wednesday 31 before finishing later that day in Northampton – Matt Smith’s hometown.

Alec McGivan, head of BBC Outreach, added: “Outreach is all about getting face to face with people so they can get involved and experience the BBC in a different and exciting way – we’re delighted to be able to take one of the BBC’s best loved brands out to its audience.”

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Doctor Who boss Steven Moffat has said that the current financial climate has forced the sci-fi show’s production team to be creative.

“There will never be enough money to make Doctor Who,” Moffat said.

“We could spend Avatar’s budget and still ask for more, because it’s a show that’s set in every point in history and every place in the universe.”

The series returns on 3 April with a new creative team led by Moffat, and a new Doctor, played by Matt Smith.

Moffat told the BBC he did not consider the budget when writing episodes.

“What we think is what we need to achieve, and how we’re to achieve it, given whatever financial circumstance we’re in,” he said.

“A lot of the most iconic things about Doctor Who are a direct consequence of financial shortcomings.”

He pointed out that the idea of the Tardis – the Doctor’s time-space machine – was the result of the original production team in the 1960s making the best use of what was already available.

“They said ‘we’ve got a police box from Dixon of Dock Green – let’s make a box that’s bigger on the inside’, and thus was born the single best idea in all of fiction,” said Moffat.

He added: “Budget cuts are tough: I don’t like them, but they force you to be creative. You’ve seen that trailer. Does it look like we’ve had a budget cut?”

Larger Tardis

Matt Smith’s debut adventure – The Eleventh Hour – and a new season trailer were screened to the press in Cardiff last week.

The first story sees the newly-regenerated 11th Doctor crash the Tardis on Earth, where he meets a new companion Amy Pond (played by Karen Gillan).

The episode will also reveal a redesigned Tardis interior. The new set is twice the size of that inhabited by David Tennant’s 10th Doctor.

“So much was new,” said Moffat, “it would have been cowardly not to have a new Tardis as well.”

According to BBC Worldwide, Doctor Who has sold to over 50 territories worldwide and was a top five selling programme in 2009.

There have been 3.3 million DVD sales to date, and more than 7m action figures have been sold.

In 2009, BBC Children’s Books sold over 300,000 Doctor Who books.

Filming on the new 13-part series was due to have ended on Saturday.

The new series launches in the US on BBC America on 17 April and ABC Australia on 18 April.

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Doctor Who will return for a sixth series in 2011, it has been confirmed.

Executive producer Piers Wenger also announced a Christmas special for this year, penned by showrunner Steven Moffat.

Matt Smith will be returning for his second full series as The Doctor.

Shooting on the special and the 13-episode sixth run will begin early July in Cardiff. Filming on the fifth series wraps this Saturday ahead of transmission on BBC One at Easter.

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Tonight’s The Night has been renewed for a second series, the BBC has announced.

The Saturday night show, which is fronted by John Barrowman, will be tied to the National Lottery show and will include the live draws.

“I am just thrilled that Tonight’s The Night is coming back to Saturday nights on BBC One,” said Barrowman. “Once again I can’t wait to make the nation’s performance dreams come true.”

The BBC’s Alan Tyler added: “We’re delighted that Tonight’s The Night will be produced by BBC Scotland this summer. John has worked in the Pacific Quay studio before and we are confident that his enthusiasm for the show and for a return to Glasgow will light up the screen.”

Barrowman will next be seen on Desperate Housewives, in which he plays a bad guy connected to the Bolen family mystery.

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Can there be any woman between 17 and 30 who doesn’t secretly (or not even that secretly) want, with shivers of yearning, to be Karen Gillan at this moment? Plucked, she freely admits, from obscurity, she’s the new girl, Amy Pond, in the life of the new Doctor, as Matt Smith replaces David Tennant this Easter, and Steven Moffat comes back to the writing.

There is, I regret to inform those of you who like a bit of grit in the oyster to mitigate yellow jealousy, not a bad bone in this story. Karen is, truly and annoyingly, a lucky, pretty, talented, happy, smart, leggy, ordinary, honest, laughing girl, from a very loving family. Born in Inverness 22 years ago, she toyed for a while with a career in music before being told her acting was better than her singing, and heading to London’s Italia Conti school, which she soon quit to take her first TV job, in an episode of Rebus. Suddenly she found herself out of work, out of college, having to take a job in a pub (The Pilgrim in Kennington, you fans might like to know) just to survive. But before long she was talent-spotted for a modelling job, and that was her career for the next couple of years, while trying furiously to get back into acting. She thought she “hadn’t a hope in hell” of securing Amy, so just went for it, without fear.

“Then I got the recall, the second audition. That was when I started sweating. This huge thing. And it was so secretive I couldn’t even tell BBC reception where I was going, had to pretend it was for something called Panic Moon, which is an anagram of companion.” She was the last auditionee, and got the call later that same night that’s still changing her life.

“To be honest, I wasn’t really a huge follower of Dr Who before I got this part. I mean I knew it was huge, but … I was nothing like my mum, who’s a proper diehard Whovian. She’s got a Tardis money-bag, and Dalek bubble-bath. But having read the first episode I was utterly smitten, and with the character. Amy’s a sassy lady, funny and passionate, and her relationship with the doctor has a really interesting dynamic.” She kisses him this series: does she love him? Karen (who is in real life in a relationship), answers carefully. “She has a love for him, a really deep love for him. But not romantic.

“It’s been an education in itself to work with Matt, who’s so endlessly inventive, bringing something new to it every day rather than falling into the easy default scared-face. That’s one of the challenges; you’re faced with life-threatening situations every episode, but you can’t just widen your eyes all the time. Yes, this doctor is preeeetty good. As, I’ve said, is Amy, and she gets to wear all these small skirts, which I will admit was very cold, but also very cool. They originally wanted to put me in trousers, but I did say I’d like to wear a skirt because – you’ll understand when you watch it. Actually I think I love Amy. I’m in love with her. I want to be her.”

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John Barrowman will embark on a U.K. concert tour later this year, beginning with an engagement on October 1 at Oxford’s New Theatre. The 23-city tour will include a performance at Royal Albert Hall in London (October 4) and at Edinburgh’s Playhouse (November 2).

Barrowman will be performing selections from his recently released self-titled CD, which features songs from Cats, Mamma Mia, Nine, Jersey Boys, and Mack and Mabel, among others.

Barrowman recently concluded runs in the West End revival of La Cage Aux Folles and Robin Hood: The Pantomime Adventure at London’s New Theatre. Among his other stage credits are Company, Anything Goes, and A Few Good Men. He is well known in the UK for his TV appearances in Torchwood, Doctor Who, How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?, Any Dream Will Do, and I’d Do Anything. His previous solo recordings are Another Side and Music Music Music.

For further information, visit www.johnbarrowman.com.

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While the fate of Torchwood is still up in the air, kiddie Who spinoff The Sarah Jane Adventures has a much more secure future after its recent recommmission for a fourth AND fifth series. Keen to know more about what’s to come for SJ and friends, we called up executive producer Nikki Wilson for a chat.

Why were you picked up for two series in one go?
“It’s an opportunity for us to plan for our characters over a two season arc which gives more stability to the show and also, CBBC want more, which is fantastic!”

Are you going to film both series back to back?
“No, we’re going to film some of series five this year but the rest will be shot next year.”

You’ve now been promoted to exec producer, congratulations! What does that mean for you day-to-day?
“Well I won’t be as hands-on on the floor while shooting as I was as producer. It’s still being very much across scripts and casting but I wont be around on set as much as I was last year. I’ll miss it because I love it and I love the team but Brian Minchin has taken over as producer and he’s going to be fantastic. I’ve left it in a very safe pair of hands.”

Russell is sticking around as executive producer – how involved will he be going forward?
“It’s Russell’s baby so he absolutely loves the show with a passion and will always be very involved in the scripts and storyline process. He also will give notes on the edit at the other end as well. Although, because he’s out of the country, he’s less of a physical presence but we’re still in daily email contact with him.”

And I assume you upload all the rushes to the internet for him…
“Yes, he gets an opportunity to see things as the go along, absolutely.”

Where are you up to with the fourth series?
“We’re three weeks away from the start of filming so it’s all gearing up.”

How long does that run for?
“We film an episode a week – it’s fast!”

In series four the team will be meeting the Nightmare Man and the Shansheeth. What more can you tell us?
“The Nightmare Man is part of a really big emotional journey for Luke which involves him facing his fears and excitement about the future. The Shansheeth are vulture undertakers who get embroiled with the gang on a big adventure for the middle of the series.”

Also the group will be visiting an alien world for the first time – will that be difficult production-wise?
“It’s part of a bigger episode – we’re not setting a whole two episodes on an adventure off Earth so it’s fairly containable. With Sarah Jane it’s very much rooted in contemporary London and Bannerman Road will always be the heart of the show. We’re not Doctor Who so we don’t go flying off around the universe but this is an opportunity for us to get a glimpse of that.”

Sarah Jane stories tend to be quite self contained and there aren’t many ongoing threads across a series. Will that ever change?
“No, I think the format works as it is. Kids enjoy that sort of thrill of the two part adventure and coming to a satisfying conclusion. Obviously our central characters are growing up and things they have learnt in previous adventures will inform future adventures but no, we haven’t got plans to have big serial arcs in the series.”

The series has never really needed much Doctor Who crossover and holds its own quite well, but David Tennant’s appearance last year was an undoubted highlight. Did the success of that story make you reconsider crossovers?
“It’s brilliant that this show had its origins in Doctor Who – Sarah Jane was a character created for Doctor Who. We will always maintain our links with the show but you’re right, Sarah Jane is a show in its own right. Yes, there will always be room for crossovers in the future but it won’t be a bigger feature than it has been in the past.”

Sarah Jane returns for its fourth series on CBBC this Autumn.

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Doctor Who’s new companion, actress Karen Gillan, says she’s “completely nervous” about the airing of her first episode.

The 22-year-old admitted the series debut was always going to be daunting but that the production team were all “really proud” of their work.

Doctor number eleven – Matt Smith – will also be introduced when the show returns at Easter.

Gillan said her on-screen partner would win over fans and silence those who’ve raised eyebrows about choosing a relatively unknown young actor.

“What Matt’s done is something completely incredible”, she said. “He’s completely made the part his own and I think people really are going to fall in love with his Doctor.”

The Inverness-born actress said that Smith is a bit of a joker on set and “like an annoying older brother – but annoying in a brilliant way.”

She also revealed that the 27-year-old brings a guitar to the set, to strum away at during takes. (Although she’s yet to find out if he’s any good).

Strong and sassy

While careful not to let slip any spoilers about the first episode, Gillan is proud to admit that her character (Amy Pond) is not intimidated by the Doctor.

“Amy is a very sassy young lady,” she said. “She’s not completely in awe of the Doctor all the time, there’s none of that. She doesn’t take his word as gospel.”

Details of how the timelord meets his new companion are a closely guarded secret, but viewers should find it “very interesting,” said Gillan.

The redhead has also been getting a taste of the attention that awaits her – she’s getting noticed on the street and is already receiving fan mail.

“Which is strange as people haven’t even seem me yet. But it’s lovely as you know there are people out there rooting for you.

Help from mum

Landing such a high profile role has also been something of an education for the actress.

She admits being a little naive about Doctor Who’s history, but says her mum has helped fill in the gaps.

“My mother in a massive ‘Whovian’. She loves Doctor Who, so she knows everything.

“But since I joined the show I’ve turned into a complete geek and am really into my sci-fi now.”

At the end of the month Gillan and Smith are also setting out on a nationwide ‘Doctor Who tour’ to promote the new series.

Each of the five locations (Belfast, Inverness, Sunderland, Salford and Northampton) will host a premiere of episode one, The Eleventh Hour, for local children.

The actress said she was looking forward to seeing the reaction of fans, even though she hasn’t seen the episode herself yet.

She joked: “We are going to have a great big Doctor Who tour bus, which is going to be so much fun. We want it to be like the Spice World bus from the Spice Girls film!”

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