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50th anniversary
Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary special will see the return of David Tennant and Billie Piper.
David Tennant was the 10th Doctor and Billie Piper played his on-screen companion Rose Tyler in the show.
Filming on the show, which will also star John Hurt, will start next week.
Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary special will see the return of David Tennant and Billie Piper
David Tennant’s successor, Matt Smith – also in the special with his new assistant played by Jenna-Louise Coleman – says fans “will not be disappointed” by the 3D show, due to air on November 23.
Billie Piper and David Tennant have long been rumored to be making a return for the special, which is being written by the show’s executive producer and lead writer Steven Moffat.
In January, Billie Piper, appearing on the Graham Norton show, denied she would be appearing.
“I wasn’t asked, no,” she said.
“I think Matt Smith may have said, in passing or in jest, it would be nice.
“I think maybe he said that and then it became something quite different, but no.”
Matt Smith has said the show “manages to pay homage to everything – and look forward”.
“I read it and I clapped at the end. I think it’s hilarious, it’s epic and it’s vast,” he said.
Steven Moffat, meanwhile, has said he took special care to protect the secrets of the story.
“One length I’ve gone to which is a really good security measure – I make sure I don’t get a script, because I will lose it,” he said.
“I forbid people to hand me one. It’s on my computer under lock and key.”
The first story of Doctor Who’s 2013 run, The Bells of Saint John – described by Steven Moffat as a “proper London thriller” – will be screened later.
Viewers will see the Doctor and new companion, Clara, played by Jenna-Louise Coleman, battling an evil entity in the world’s Wi-Fi networks.
Future episodes see the return of the Cybermen and old enemy the Ice Warriors, who last appeared during the Jon Pertwee era in 1974.
The first episode of Doctor Who, An Unearthly Child, starring William Hartnell as the Timelord, was broadcast on November 23, 1963.
As part of the anniversary events, the BBC will also broadcast An Adventure in Space and Time – a one-off drama looking at how the sci-fi show came to be made.
Doctor Who: The Bells of Saint John will air on BBC One at 18:15 GMT on Saturday, March 30.
Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary script is under lock and key, programme’s boss Steven Moffat has said.
“One length I’ve gone to which is a really good security measure – I make sure I don’t get a script, because I will lose it,” said Steven Moffat, the show’s lead writer.
“I forbid people to hand me one. It’s on my computer under lock and key.”
Actor Matt Smith promised fans they “will not be disappointed” by the story.
“I read it and I clapped at the end. I think it’s hilarious, it’s epic and it’s vast,” he said at a Doctor Who series launch last week.
“It manages to pay homage to everything – and look forward.”
The first story of Doctor Who’s 2013 run, The Bells of Saint John, will be screened on Easter Saturday, March 30.
Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary script is under lock and key
Described by Steven Moffat as a “proper London thriller”, it sees the Doctor and new companion Clara (Jenna-Louise Coleman) battling an evil entity in the world’s Wi-Fi networks.Future episodes see the return of the Cybermen and old enemy the Ice Warriors, who last appeared during the Jon Pertwee era in 1974.
“It’s going to be the biggest and best and most inventive and most exciting year for the show,” Matt Smith said.
The 50th anniversary special, due to begin filming in April, will be broadcast in 3D around the show’s birthday in November.
The first ever episode of Doctor Who, An Unearthly Child, with William Hartnell as the Doctor, was broadcast on 23 November 1963.
The Beatles’ 10-hour recording session for their debut album Please Please Me is to be recreated by musicians including Stereophonics and Mick Hucknall to mark its 50th anniversary.
The Beatles recorded almost all of the record in one day-long recording session on February 11, 1963.
BBC Radio 2 will broadcast live footage of the stars working on the 10 tracks at London’s Abbey Road Studios.
Gabrielle Aplin and I Am Kloot will also be part of the sessions.
Chart topping newcomer Gabrielle Aplin was the first to arrive at the legendary studio, with Radio 2 breakfast DJ Chris Evans and Welsh rockers the Stereophonics arriving in the same car minutes later.
Evans then joined frontman Kelly Jones outside the studio for a short busking session.
The DJ was in fine voice, despite fluffing some lines in their cover of The Beatles’ I Saw Her Standing There – which the band will perform in the studio later.
Kelly Jones said his favorite Beatles’ record was “probably Abbey Road” but “the great thing about the early albums was the sound of a band capturing their raw energy”.
The sessions for Please Please Me saw The Beatles playing live renditions of the songs which had formed the core of their recent live shows. The tracks were recorded largely as they were performed, with few overdubs or layering of instruments – which became common features of their later work.
The final track to be committed to tape was Twist And Shout, which had been held back over fears that John Lennon’s sore throat may not hold out if he performed it earlier in the day.
The Beatles’ 10-hour recording session for their debut album Please Please Me is to be recreated by musicians including Stereophonics and Mick Hucknall to mark its 50th anniversary
John Lennon sang the huge hit topless but was unable to go for a second take, so the initial recording was used.
Ian MacDonald, the late chronicler of Beatles recordings, wrote: “Trying for a second take, Lennon found he had nothing left and the session stopped there and then – but the atmosphere was still crackling.
“Nothing of that intensity had ever been recorded in a British pop studio.”
Initially, the Beatles’ producer George Martin had considered trying to capture the band’s stage show by making a live album at the Cavern Club, but the plan was dropped.
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr already had four tracks they could put on the album – the singles Love Me Do and Please Please Me, plus the B-sides.
They needed 10 more to complete the album and were booked at Abbey Road amidst a hectic live schedule.
They had 30 gigs to perform in February including a tour with Helen Shapiro, plus a radio and TV show.
John Lennon had a cold and was drinking tea, milk and smoking while sucking lozenges for his throat.
They started recording at 10 a.m. and their first song was There’s A Place, which they managed in 13 takes.
Next was I Saw Her Standing There and several other followed in quick succession. Hold Me Tight also took 13 takes but it was dumped from the album, only to revived for their second album With The Beatles.
Although just two three-hour periods were booked for the recording, the band added a third which ended at 10.45pm.
Mark Lewisohn, in his book The Complete Beatles Chronicle, wrote: “There can scarcely have been 585 more productive minutes in the history of recorded music.”
Broadcaster Stuart Maconie said it was hard to imagine the original sessions.
“I got here this morning and what struck me was that there are so many people here – bands, crews, journalists – and how different it must have been that morning 50 years ago when the Beatles arrived in their van.
“I’m fascinated whether they knew they were changing the history of the world. Did they have an inkling? I wonder if McCartney knew?”
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France and Germany are marking the 50th anniversary of Elysee Treaty that helped to reconcile the two former foes.
The German and French leaders have been holding talks in Berlin and there will also be a joint session of the two countries’ parliaments.
The Elysee Treaty was signed by Charles de Gaulle of France and Germany’s Konrad Adenauer on January 22, 1963.
Despite ups and downs in the relationship, Berlin and Paris have been key shapers of the European Union.
Charles De Gaulle described Europe as “a coach and horses, with Germany the horse and France the coachman”, and the co-operation between the two nations has been the foundation stone of the European project.
To celebrate what has been described as a festival of friendship, France and Germany are issuing stamps, coins and other items of memorabilia.
France and Germany are marking the 50th anniversary of Elysee Treaty that helped to reconcile the two former foes
French flags will be flying beside those of Germany in Berlin.
Later on Tuesday, more than 500 French lawmakers will travel to the German capital for the session with the Bundestag.
There will also be a joint cabinet dinner and a concert.
On Monday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande held talks behind closed doors.
Angela Merkel said in her weekly podcast on Saturday that she felt “a very great closeness” with Germany’s neighbor.
“When we have come together, then mostly a good new solution has come out of it,” Angela Merkel said.
However, the two countries remain at odds on several issues, including how to deal with the eurozone crisis.
President Francois Hollande – who is pushing for fresh spending to bolster growth – believes that the Germans are wrong to place such emphasis on austerity and cutting deficits.
On Francois Hollande’s side there is also still bitterness that Chancellor Angela Merkel backed Nicolas Sarkozy so openly during last year’s French presidential elections, our editor says.
The ongoing crisis in Mali is also likely to test the two countries’ relationship.
While Paris has deployed troops in West African nation to halt the advance of Islamist insurgents, Berlin has been reluctant to be drawn deeply into the conflict.
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The Rolling Stones returned to the London stage on Sunday night in the first of five concerts to celebrate their 50th anniversary.
Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood were joined by their original bass player Bill Wyman at the 02 Arena.
Music critics hailed the rockers’ return a success.
Reviews of the gig described the band as “still leading the pack” and “at the cutting edge of pop”.
“They have a combined age of 273, but the four Stones remain an extraordinary live proposition,” John Aizlewood wrote in the Evening Standard.
“Jagger, camp and louche, was a preening but energetic peacock; Richards was as cool as a man sporting a red hairband and turquoise jacket could possibly be; Ronnie Wood was a chirpy mascot and that ocean of serenity Charlie Watts showed the tiniest of drumkits can make the biggest noise,” he said.
Guest stars included Mick Taylor – was originally in the Stones from 1969 to 1974 – who played lead guitar on Midnight Rambler.
Mary J. Blige also duetted with Sir Mick Jagger on Give Me Shelter.
“It’s amazing that we’re still doing this, and it’s amazing that you’re still buying our records and coming to our shows,” the frontman said.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
Mick Jagger also joked about the controversial price of the concert’s tickets.
“How are you doing up in the cheap seats?” he asked fans in the upper rows.
“Except they’re not cheap seats, that’s the problem.”
The Rolling Stones returned to the London stage on Sunday night in the first of five concerts to celebrate their 50th anniversary
The show began with a brief video tribute from stars including Sir Elton John, Iggy Pop and Johnny Depp.
The band played 23 songs including some of their rarely-played early numbers such as It’s All Over Now and their cover version of the Beatles’ I Wanna Be Your Man.
They also showed a video montage of their big influences such as Muddy Waters, Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash.
The Independent described Sir Mick Jagger as being “in good voice” and “impressively strident” in the opening song.
Reviewer Andy Gill was also positive about the guest appearances of Wyman, who he described as “stolid as ever” on It’s Only Rock’n’Roll and Honky Tonk Women, and Mick Taylor, whose “stinging lead lines” on Midnight Rambler combined well with the rest of the band.
“For seven minutes or so, the years fall away and it seems as if the group were still at the cutting edge of pop – something their two new numbers, sadly, never quite manage,” he said.
Writing in The Guardian, Alexis Petridis said the show was “liberally flecked with moments” which were “about more than mere nostalgia, where the band seems to suddenly hit its stride, when well-worn material comes alive”.
“Keith Richards’ Before They Make Me Run arrives with its screw-you swagger intact,” he added.
The band also played classics such as Paint It Black and Jumping Jack Flash, but they didn’t get to perform Satisfaction as they ran out of time.
Still, fans were happy with the performance.
“It was pretty special. It’s not very often you get to see something like that. It was incredible,” said one.
Another man who travelled from Australia for the concert said it was “amazing”.
“Mick Taylor… What a genius,” he added.
Music critic Neil McCormick said the music sounded as good as it did when he first started going to gigs in the early 1980s.
“They really did seem happy to be there,” he said.
“There were many moments when they went completely mad.”
The series of gigs marks 50 years since the band first appeared in a small London club determined to pay homage to the masters of American blues.
There will be one more concert in London on Thursday, followed by one in Brooklyn, New York, and two in Newark, New Jersey.
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The Rolling Stones have performed to 350 fans at Le Trabendo club in Paris after announcing a surprise gig on Twitter.
It was their first concert since 2007, and came ahead of 50th anniversary shows in London and New York.
Playing for almost an hour and a half, the band rattled through hits like It’s Only Rock and Roll and Brown Sugar.
“I can’t believe we’re all still standing up,” joked Mick Jagger.
“You’d think by now one or two of us would be sitting down, but we’re not.”
Tickets to the event at Le Trabendo club in Paris cost $18, selling out within minutes.
By contrast, seeing the band at London’s O2 Arena in November could set you back $625.
The Rolling Stones are in Paris to rehearse for those arena dates and tweeted that last night’s performance would be a “short warm-up gig”.
They played fan favorites including Route 66 and Miss You, as well as their latest single Doom and Gloom, which peaked at number 97 in the UK’s Official Singles Chart.
The Rolling Stones have performed to 350 fans at Le Trabendo club in Paris after announcing a surprise gig on Twitter
Fans Don Device and Robert Blalack were amongst the crowd.
“It seemed like it was their fifth or sixth performance, they still had the enthusiasm and the thrill of enjoying the audience reaction, even after 50 years,” said Robert Blalack.
“Actually, after tonight, I think that they have got a long time in front of them,” added Don Device.
“They were much more tight [tonight]. I saw them for the first time in 1979 – worst concert I have ever seen. Tonight – amazing! I saw younger men tonight than I saw in 1979.”
Le Trabendo has previously hosted famous names including Metallica, Arctic Monkeys and the Neptunes. But the Rolling Stones are the biggest band to perform there.
The venue has a capacity for 700 people and the crowd was also made up of the band’s friends and colleagues from the music industry.
“We really lucked out,” said one fan from San Francisco, who had secured a ticket because her husband’s former boss works for the Rolling Stones.
“I have seen them before, but it has been in larger arenas with 40 thousand people, and [in] such a small club it was incredible. They played all the hits. Brown Sugar was still my favorite.”
Johan Anssens said he had waited in the cold for three and a half hours to buy his $18 ticket after he read about the gig on Twitter.
He said he didn’t feel sorry for fans in Britain and the United States, who are being charged much steeper prices for the band’s 50th anniversary tour dates.
“I don’t have a job so I wouldn’t be able to go if I had to pay the same price as in London,” he said.
“But here I could afford it, so I think it is very democratic. I love the Rolling Stones and I had an amazing night.”
Some fans said that they had got in for free after organizers granted last-minute entry to those who had been unsuccessful queuing for tickets earlier in the day.
“They let about fifty extra people in, of all ages, and we did some very loud clapping!” said one man, who was wearing a backstage pass.
“Don’t worry, I don’t work for the Stones, I picked this up on the floor as a memento!” he laughed.
Guitarist Ronnie Wood had earlier hinted that the band could perform in Paris.
He told NME magazine that there were “going to be little club gigs that we’re gonna surprise ourselves to do as well…I don’t know who we’ll be billed as but we’ll turn up somewhere and put a few to the test. Tiny, 200, 300 people kind of places”.
There will be a second private gig on Monday funded by investment company Carmignac Gestion for their employees.
Fans at last nights gig said there were already rumors of further possible concerts in the French capital next week as the band continue to prepare for their major shows.
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The Rolling Stones have announced four concerts in London and Newark at the end of the year.
The band will play London’s O2 Arena on 25 and 29 November and at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on 13 and 15 December.
Reports of a possible tour to mark The Rolling Stones’ 50th anniversary had been circulating for a number of years.
Tickets for the UK gigs go on sale on Friday, with the New Jersey tickets on sale next Friday.
Pre-sale tickets for the UK dates are already available with prices ranging from £106 – £406 ($165-$635) including ticket fees.
Making the announcement in a video on YouTube, the band said: “You must have guessed this was coming.
“Surely you didn’t think we weren’t going to do this? Soon we will be back on stage playing for you in two cities that know how to rock and roll.”
Mick Jagger suggested there could be some special guests at the shows, saying there would be “maybe a few friends joining us”.
Fans can also expect a stage based on the band’s ubiquitous tongue and lips logo.
The news comes as the band release a new single, Doom and Gloom.
Mick Jagger said: “It was written very quickly and the band seemed to like it.
“It was a quick recording session. We recorded two songs – the other one is called One More Shot.”
The singer also appeared to hint that the four new dates could be the start of a longer run of gigs at a later point.
Prior to the announcement, when asked how many shows the band would be performing, Mick Jagger replied: “It’s not going to be a long tour, the first bit.”
The Rolling Stones’ last world tour, A Bigger Bang, played to 4.5 million people in 32 countries over two years before it finished in London in 2007.
With ticket sales of $558 million, it was the most profitable tour of all time, until it was eclipsed by U2’s 360 tour last year.
Despite high ticket prices, Scott Rowley, the editor-in-chief of Classic Rock magazine, said fans would still pay out to see the band.
“They’ll do it because they haven’t seen them in so long, and there’s a suggestion it could be the last time they tour,” he said.
“People have got used to paying outlandish fees for things like Olympics and football tickets – and demand far outweighs the number of seats available.”
Scott Rowley said if a full tour schedule is later announced, it could eclipse its previous record.
He said he had seen reports the band are to receive “$25 million just for these four gigs”.
“That works out to an hourly rate of $781,250 if split equally for a two-hour show,” he said.
“Rock bands still have the reputations that draw generations. You hear their songs on TV and the radio and it’s everywhere.”
“These songs may have been written when they were 20 years old, but it’s still exciting rock music.”
