The BBC is reporting that new Doctor Matt Smith and his companion Karen Gillan will be embarking on a short UK tour this month, part of the BBC’s Outreach programmes which “will target hard-to-reach communities relatively underserved by the BBC.” Although when it names some of the destinations I have to say I’m puzzled at the BBC’s use of the term ‘hard to reach’ – I imagined perhaps remote rural locations or the islands of Scotland perhaps from that, but they mean Northampton, Salford, Belfast, Inverness and Sunderland. I’m really not sure how exactly these are ‘hard to reach’? Peculiar. Still, it is great that Matt and Karen and the Who team are going out ahead of the eagerly anticipated new series to meet the fans who are, after all, the folks who really made the show the world’s longest running science fiction series.
(Karen Gillan and Matt Smith from the promotional trailer for the new Doctor Who season due in April in the UK, (c) BBC)
Belfast is the first port of call on March 29th with the tour finishing in Salford on the 31st. According to the article after the tour the Beeb “will also hold events on big screens for Doctor Who fans in London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Plymouth and Swansea”, so more of us will have something to look forward to. And while we’re talking Who, has anyone else seen the new trailer in 3D in the cinema yet? Great fun!
March 9th, 2010 at 12:59 am
Maybe they mean “communities who don’t appear to have bought many tv licences”…
I’m pretty sure Belfast is a notorious tv licence blackspot (and i say this, living in Belfast but with full possession of a tv licence…)
-pj
March 9th, 2010 at 11:06 am
Yeah, we are a bunch of awful scoff-laws.
This is what I meant when I said that Matt Smith, great as I expect him to be in the role, is the credit crunch Doctor. I don’t think the BBC could have afforded to wheel out Eccleston, Tennant, or some of the big names rumoured to be getting the job before Smith was announced, around the country like this. Or persuaded their agents it was a good idea.
March 17th, 2010 at 5:56 pm
what time does it start in belfast?
March 18th, 2010 at 8:59 am
Brendan, I don’t know, you’d need to check their site or contact them to find out
March 18th, 2010 at 6:10 pm
ok sorry was only askin