What would Christmas be without the media? TV, radio, the internet, magazines, books, shops, online stores, newspapers, theatres, cinemas... the list is endless. Every year the UK media blows up with Christmas cheer... and this year is no different! So I thought I'd give a little preview of what we can expect to see this Christmas.
This year, UK TV viewers can expect to watch a whole array of Christmas specials. Starting with 'The Snowman' and 'A Christmas Carol'; Christmas Eve classics, we can also expect to see Jacqueline Wilson's 'Dustbin Baby' bought to life and a special Eastenders in which Dot's son Nick returns to (wreck?) Christmas. The Doctor Who Christmas special 'The Next Doctor' is something not to be missed. A dramatised version of the spooky 'Crooked House' will air, as well as another episode of the ever-loved programme Wallace and Gromit; A Matter of Loaf and Death. Michael Palin retraces his steps to Mumbai and Dubai, which he last visited twenty years ago, as well as the Keeping up Appearances and the Blackadder Christmas specials airing! Top of the Pops returns too, along with the final of Strictly Come Dancing and a whole list of films and repeats!
Bookstores and clothes stores go mad at Christmas, with all the shops trying to lure their customers with pre-Christmas 'sales', which are likely to be slashed in half on Boxing Day. Online stores are also extremely popular this Christmas; sales of up to one thousand per minute were recorded on Play.com!
Theatre productions such as the Dickensian 'A Christmas Carol' and pantomimes return, and hundreds of streets will be lit up, as well as loads of markets being set up. London is probably one of the best places to be around Christmas - so much festive spirit!!
I'll return with another Christmassy post soon! I hope you enjoyed reading; please leave comments!
The Christmas Series - Part 3 - Christmas Media in the UK
Categories: BBC, Christmas, Doctor Who 0 comments
Happy Birthday Doctor Who!
Categories: BBC, Doctor Who, reviews, Sarah Jane Adventures, Torchwood 0 comments
After 45 glorious years, BBC's Doctor Who is still going strong! The wonderful science-fiction show, originally designed as an educational history programme, has developed into so much more, complemented with a handful of spin-offs, still on our TVs today! This series, noted in the Guinness World Records for the longest running sci-fi show, tells the story of a Time Lord, an alien from a planet named Gallifrey. Throughout the years, the fictional now 945 year old has regenerated into a new body nine times, and has had a countless number of (mostly human) companions, joining him on his adventures in the TARDIS, in time and space.
This programme is now ingrained in British culture, and it's doubtful that you'll find a family in Britain who haven't heard of the terrifying pepper-pot 'Dalek' monsters, the Doctor's arch enemy. Doctor Who ran regularly from 1963 until 1989, and after one TV movie in 1996, the show was revived, in 2005 (with the ninth Doctor, player by Christopher Eccleston). Contrary to many producers' and critics' belief, it was immensely successful, and has been broadcast ever since.
The main character is the Doctor, and currently in his tenth regeneration (played by David Tennant), he is still discovering adventures and aliens - such as the Daleks, Cybermen, Ood and Sontarans among (MANY) others, both here and there around the universe, and on his favourite planet, Earth. He has had three companions in the new series; Rose Tyler (Billie Piper), Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman) and Donna Noble (Catherine Tate). Without doubt, this must be my favourite TV series - I simply cannot miss an episode.
To be sure that you don't miss any of the episodes of those series, here are the dates of the next shows: Doctor Who - Christmas Day BBC1, Sarah Jane Adventures - Monday 24th November BBC1 4:35 pm and Torchwood - Spring 2009 on BBC.
All of these series are exceedingly brilliant - I would completely recommend you to watch them. One of the episodes attracted 13 million viewers - imagine almost 7 Stockholms watching simultaneously! You can watch some clips on YouTube or Google Video or if you're in the UK, why not catch up on some of the latest episodes on BBC's iPlayer?
Today is the exact 45th anniversary of Doctor Who. Long live the Doctor! Here are some great resources for finding out more. Enjoy! Oh, and if you liked my post, please leave a comment!
