Campaign To Save Doctor Who Confidential

Doctor Who Confidential was created in 2005 to coincide with the revival of the main series and offered a behind the scenes look at Doctor Who. For the first time, you could see behind the magic with interviews with the behind-the-camera crew, which are an unseen but totally vital part of Doctor Who. It also offered interviews with the cast, as well as guest stars and famously, it was Doctor Who Confidential that announced to the fans who was going to be the 11th Doctor, conducting the very first interview with Matt Smith and introducing him to the fanbase.

Some of you might not know, but possibly the final ever episode of Doctor Who Confidential was broadcast with the final episode of Series 6. The BBC aren’t planning to make anymore and Doctor Who will stand on its own for the first time since it was revived.

As a Doctor Who fan myself, I can’t imagine Confidential not being there.

This Christmas, Confidential won’t be there to talk to the crew, the cast or the guest stars. Next year, you’ll watch Doctor Who and when the credits roll, that will be it. No footage of the cast mucking around, none of their thoughts on the episode, no input from their co-stars.

The year after that, 2013, Doctor Who will be turning 50, a year that is sure to feature very special events, but Confidential won’t be there to get that view behind-the-scenes for Doctor Who Fans.

And looking forward to the regeneration of the 11th Doctor, Confidential won’t be there to reveal who the 12th Doctor will be. One of the most valuable parts of Doctor Who Confidential for me was the opportunity to get to know the cast. Thanks to Doctor Who Confidential, we know a bit about who Matt Smith is, rather than just the 11th Doctor. We know a bit about Karen Gillan, who is as……..quirky as she is gorgeous, rather than just about her on-screen persona.

Doctor Who Confidential gives us a view behind the mask of the actors. When the 12th Doctor bursts on to the screen, we’ll only ever really know them as the 12th Doctor. Confidential won’t be there to record the antics and I know I for one will really miss that.

So will a surprising number of other fans, it seems, as a campaign has been growing to save Doctor Who Confidential. SaveDWC, as they’re known on Twitter, have been gathering together a petition that they will eventually send to the BBC Trust, which regulates the BBC, in an effort to keep Doctor Who Confidential on our screens.

In the space of nearly a month, the SaveDWC Campaign has amassed an astonishing 46,675 signatures (at the time of writing) and has been supported by the likes of Kai Owen, AKA Rhys Williams from Torchwood, Neil Gaimon, who wrote the episode “The Doctor’s Wife” in Series 6 of Doctor Who, and Russell Tovey, who played Midshipman Alonso “Allon-sy Alonso” Frame in Voyage of The Damned and was also the Narrator of Doctor Who Confidential from 2010 to 2011.

It’s also worthy to note that Steven Moffat, head writer of Doctor Who, is following the Campaign on Twitter.

The petition is to close on Friday 28th October after running for a month and this is your chance to add your name to the petition. The SaveDWC team only want genuine names, no usernames or aliases, as this will obviously portay the petition as a very serious one.

So if you’re a fan of Doctor Who, it’s vital that you add your name to the petition. Every single signature counts and contributes to the final number of voices asking the BBC to reconsider their decision to axe the show.

So if you haven’t yet, please sign your name on the petition below by Friday 28th October:

Save Doctor Who Confidential Petition (To Be Sent To The BBC)

You can also follow the SaveDWC Campaign on Twitter here:

SaveDWC on Twitter

One of the most poignant moments in Doctor Who Confidential was a competition for British school children to write a mini-episode of Doctor Who, which would then be made and shown on Doctor Who Confidential.

The prize was eventually won by children from Oakley Junior School, who wrote “Death Is The Only Answer” and which showed on possibly the final ever episode of Doctor Who Confidential. Without the show, that opportunity, that money really couldn’t buy, would never have been possible.

The video below provides a snapshot of this competition, where Head Writer Steven Moffat, as well as 11th Doctor Matt Smith, speak to the excited children of Oakley Junior School, who are also joined by an Ood.

This wouldn’t have been possible without Doctor Who Confidential and illustrates why anyone that is a fan of Doctor Who, male or female, young, old or anything in between should offer their signature before October 28th to the SaveDWC Campaign.

You never know, fan power could bring Doctor Who Confidential back from the dead and even if it doesn’t, the Doctor would be proud

UPDATE (October 25th): It’s been confirmed that Zoe Wanamaker CBE, who voiced and once played the Lady Cassandra in Doctor Who, has personally signed the petition after being upset by the news of Doctor Who Confidential’s cancellation. Chris Jones Gaming offers its congratulations to the SaveDWC campaign for this significant achievement and to Zoe Wanamaker for offering her valuable signature to the campaign.