July 26, 2010

William Gibson signing at Forbidden Planet

Forbidden Planet is pleased to announce a signing by William Gibson. He will be signing his new novel ZERO HISTORY at the Forbidden Planet Megastore, 179 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8JR, on Saturday 9th October from 1 – 2pm.

Former rock singer Hollis Henry has lost a lot of money in the crash, which means she can't turn down the offer of a job from Hubertus Bigend, sinister Belgian proprietor of mysterious ad agency Blue Ant. Milgrim is working for Bigend too. Bigend admires the ex-addict's linguistic skills and street knowledge so much that he's even paid for his costly rehab. So together Hollis and Milgrim are at the front line of Bigend's attempts to get a slice of the military budget, and they gradually realize he has some very dangerous competitors. Which is not a great thought when you don't much trust your boss either.

William Gibson first novel Neuromancer sold more than six million copies worldwide. In an earlier short story, Gibson had coined the phrase 'cyberspace', and he developed the concept in the novel, creating an iconography for the Information Age long before widespread use of the Internet. Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive completed his first trilogy. He has since written six further novels, moving gradually away from science fiction and futuristic work, instead writing about the strange contemporary world we inhabit. His most recent novels are Pattern Recognition and Spook Country, both available in Penguin. He was born in South Carolina but has lived in Vancouver, Canada for many years.

For more news about our signings please go to: http://www.forbiddenplanet.com/Signings.html.

July 22, 2010

Dalek Invasion!



Only the brave should venture to the Fleet Air Arm Museum on the weekend of August 7th and 8th as an army of Daleks accompanied by Davros, Miss Hartigan, Cybermen, Ice Warriors, Pig Slaves, Weeping Angel and more will invade the Museum.

To add to the fun and terror of the day, children are encouraged to wear Sci-Fi Fancy Dress.

Throughout the day there will be a variety of family activities plus a short stage play, and an Audience with the Daleks when you can ask the more friendly Daleks the questions on everybody's mind such as, "How do you tell the difference between boy and girl Daleks?"

And for those lovers of X Factor, the Daleks will compete in their own version, called X-terminate Factor!

In addition, Dr Who traders and celebrities including David Gooderson - the second Davros, John Leeson the voice of K9 and Marie McGonigle, Weeping Angel from two of the new stories will be present to add to the occasion.

The day will finish with the March of the Daleks when an army of Daleks and their evil accomplices will parade through the Museum ending under Concorde for a giant photo opportunity.

Doors will open to the public from 10.00am and normal museum admission prices will apply. To avoid queuing on the day, tickets are available below or from the Museum Shop.

For further details, and ticket booking, visit Fleet Air Arm Museum.

July 12, 2010

Katherine Jenkins to star in Doctor Who

The following press release arrived in my inbox this morning, and I knew you'd want to read it ASAP.



Cardiff, 12 July 2010: Production started today on the 2010 Doctor Who BBC One Christmas Special in which the thrilling adventures of the Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) and newlyweds Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill) will continue in a fun-filled and heartfelt festive story.

In the grand tradition of Doctor Who Christmas specials, this year the show has once again attracted stellar guest stars as veteran actor Michael Gambon (Harry Potter, The Singing Detective) and Opera diva Katherine Jenkins, in her first acting role, join the Time Lord for what might be his most Christmassy adventure yet!

Arriving on set for her first day of filming, Katherine Jenkins said:
“I'm over the moon to be involved in the Doctor Who Christmas Special - I can't quite believe it as it's a part of the family tradition at the Jenkins household. I heard the news that I got the role on my 30th birthday and it was the best birthday present ever!”

About the series Lead Writer and Executive Producer, Steven Moffat, commented;
“Oh, we're going for broke with this one. It's all your favourite Christmas movies at once, in an hour, with monsters. And the Doctor. And a honeymoon. And ... oh, you'll see. I've honestly never been so excited about writing anything. I was laughing madly as I typed along to Christmas songs in April. My neighbours loved it so much they all moved away and set up a website demanding my execution. But I'm fairly sure they did it ironically.”

The Christmas special follows on from Matt Smith’s first series as The Doctor, which attracted huge critical acclaim for Smith, his companion Gillan and lead writer Moffat, from press and legions of fans alike.

Ben Stephenson, Controller, BBC Drama Commissioning said;
“Matt Smith and Karen Gillan captivated audiences in their debut series and Doctor Who's clever twist on the much loved A Christmas Carol will thrill BBC One viewers this year with special guest stars Sir Michael Gambon and singing sensation Katherine Jenkins joining Amy and the Doctor for an unforgettable present!"

The series was co-commissioned by Ben Stephenson, Controller, BBC Drama Commissioning for BBC One and Jay Hunt, Controller of BBC One. Steven Moffat is Lead Writer and Executive Producer with Piers Wenger and Beth Willis, also executive producing.

Filming on the Christmas special will continue until August 2010.

***ENDS***

Previous Christmas specials have included roles for stars such as Kylie Minogue. The rumour mill is electric with speculation that the Yeti may return this holiday season. These fearsome foes, robots controlled by The Great Intelligence, were last seen in The Five Doctors (1983).